The Second Triumvirate
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to The Bronze Sword. Over one month has elapsed since the collapse of the triumvirate's ambitions. They don't give up, though, and begin to prepare a terrific scheme while a mysterious figure begins challenging the Net Saviors as if to prove their resolve and unity. Will the Net Saviors stand united and fight out of duty or out of revenge and hatred? Rated M for lemon.
1. Prologue: Deal in the fog

**The Second Triumvirate**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Prologue: Deal in the fog**

21:21 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 3rd, 2007…

"… Huh. What a dense fog...!"

A person was glancing around while standing in a corner of a street, waiting for someone or something that fog-filled evening.

This person could be on his thirties and about a meter and seventy tall.

His eyes' irises were brown and his hair was black: he also had a slim black moustache on his face.

He wore a navy blue sailor's coat, a gray cap, jeans and black boots.

"… That man should be about to arrive…" He muttered.

A figure emerged from the fog across the street: it looked like a tall man about a meter and ninety tall.

He wore a greenish raincoat and a red military-like cap and he seemed to sport brown leather boots and gloves as well.

The raincoat's neck hid his face beneath the nose.

"Ah. There he is…" The sailor muttered.

He stepped over to the military man while lifting his hands as if to prove he wasn't armed: the military man stopped five steps from him as if trying to have a safety distance between the two of them.

"Takashimi. Did you bring what we talked about?" The newcomer military man questioned.

"Y-yes, sir… Here it is… I could only procure an empty one, though… The main hold's security was too much for me to crack… But here you have it, sir… As you wished, sir…" The sailor named Takashimi told the military man in a hushed tone.

He rummaged on his raincoat's right pocket and took out an empty crab meat tin with a yellow label and a red crab's silhouette seen from above drawn on its surface.

"Good. What's the name of the ship?" The military man questioned Takashimi.

Takashimi nervously looked around and quickly ripped off a segment of the label: he picked a pencil from his left pocket and quickly wrote something there.

"Aha…"

The newcomer looked at it before Takashimi tossed the can into a nearby litter and pocketed the label.

"Good. I won't contact you anymore: I now have the means to be able to search that ship." The military man sounded satisfied.

"There!" A gruff voice rang out.

Both men gasped and the military man took out a service revolver from his right pocket.

"Damn."

Three silhouettes showed up in the crossroads coming from left, north east and right.

"So! Takashimi. Ya were the one who bothered to search our litter for that empty defective can which wouldn't close no matter what. It'd been easier than trying to break into the main hold, eh?" The gruff voice sounded annoyed.

"Captain! The other guy is armed!" A second man warned.

"Damn. I didn't bring _it_." The "Captain" grumbled.

"What do we do?" A third man asked.

"Whoever takes a step forward gets an 18mm bullet on their knees and I never miss a target." The military man warned.

"Shit. This guy is no joke." The "Captain" muttered.

"Shouldn't we have talked it with _Danna_?" The second man asked "Captain" while sounding slightly nervous.

"What are ya grunts, five year old gnats? We're supposed to handle alone without having to be told everything by _Danna_! Do ya get it, ya useless grunt? You're the one who let him slip off the ship to begin with! Be glad I didn't lock ya in the holds and fed you dried bread!" The "Captain" growled and sounded annoyed.

"… I'm over…!" Takashimi sounded panicked.

"Stay cool! I'll get us out of this pinch." The military man commanded.

"They can't hope to run away!" The third man proclaimed.

"Watch your trap!" The "Captain" commanded.

The military man suddenly aimed towards "Captain" and shot his revolver while failing on purpose: he then tossed a stone towards there.

"Huh? Over there!" The "Captain" yelled.

The three of them ran in that direction while Takashimi and the man quickly ran out of the crossroads and down some streets before they reached a black Audi: the military man unlocked it and both climbed inside before it sped away.

"I'm over! I'm over!" Takashimi yelled.

"Snap out of it!" The military man commanded.

"But what can I do?"

"I'll drop you in a police station. Turn yourself in by admitting to the smuggling."

"… Yeah. Guess there's no other way around… But the Captain is to blame to begin with! I preferred the previous one, but the guy had to go and retire from the service…! Damn it! I'm sure there was foul play over there!" Takishimi muttered.

"Look. You're alive: that's all what matters. By the way… Will you tell me already _what_ were you guys smuggling?" The military man questioned Takashimi.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know! All I knew is that we were smuggling _something_ using the cans: but I never got my hands on a real one! The cargo was loaded in total secrecy and I'm sure there isn't even a manifest of it!" Takashimi admitted.

"They weren't taking any risks, then. Whatever. I'll soon get a permit to search it."

"If I was gonna get in this mess then I wouldn't have talked with you on that pub yesterday evening! I'd drunk too much beer and you took profit of it to press me into admitting that I was up to something! I'm such an idiot!" Takashimi growled.

"All's fair in war." The military man merely replied.

"Crap."

"Remember: admit to smuggling. And tell them the ship's name, too. Do you get it, Takashimi? It's your only chance to remain alive." The military man commanded.

"Y-yeah…" Takashimi hung his head down.

"Here. I'll stop in the entrance. And tell them I'm an undercover Net Police agent in the investigation. And those grunts can't have gotten here: they wouldn't act right in front of the police station and there's no fog to conceal them."

The car stopped next to a police station's front gate: Takashimi stepped out and the car quickly left.

"Man."

He climbed up the steps and entered it while someone seemingly looked on through a street CCTV camera because it zoomed towards him.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_

21:33 PM (Japan Time)…

"… What? The guy's turned in? Damn."

"Captain. Your manners may need some polishing."

"Huh! I am sorry, Mr. T… Eh… So… What do we do?"

The man known as "Captain" was speaking with someone over a public phone booth: the other two accomplices were waiting outside in the fog-filled streets.

"Hmmm… I think I will draw someone into the affair. Listen: you will receive some express orders in the next 48 hours. You better get the ship ready for a departure when I give the signal. It doesn't matter what Mr. Takashimi does: he knew nothing of importance. And something tells me he will end up telling another ship's name out of fear. He's easily readable: fear and mistrust guide his person. Heh, heh, heh…" The person named Mr. T. told him with a chuckle.

"Huh… Guess so…" The "Captain" seemed to frown.

"Ah. One thing: no – one is to die in my watch. Is that simple enough to be understood, Captain? No – one shall die."

"Eh… Roger." The "Captain" seemed to gulp.

"Remember: it's thanks to me that you were able to get this post, so don't try to abuse of my patience." Mr. T. icily warned.

"Y-yes, sir…! By your orders…!"

"Good enough. Remember your orders."

"Yes, sir…! Roger…!"

The man replaced the receiver on its place and picked the change moneys before stepping out.

"We're supposed to wait for orders… Is the car nearby? I'm freezin' already." He told the other two.

"Yeah. We parked it close by, Captain."

"And you're right: it's just 9:39 PM and it's already this freezing… I was never fond of freezin' nights." Another sailor muttered while his teeth danced.

The three men headed towards a deep green Toyota and climbed inside before igniting the engines and heading elsewhere.

"Guess we'll have to do what _Danna_ says, after all. He sounded about to cut us off. I don't wanna push 'im." The "Captain" told the other two sailors with a hint of defeat.

"Damn that Takashimi. The guy had to have a slip of the tongue on that bloody pub…" One of the sailors grumbled.

"We're gonna get into a mess. But is the smuggled stuff really _that_ valuable, after all? I guess we're smuggling marijuana." The second sailor seemed to shrug.

"Marijuana, ya two say? Wrong." The "Captain" grumbled.

"Opium, then…?" The second guy tried to guess next.

"Wrong."

"Huh… Cannabis…?"

"Wrong."

"Eh… Viagra…?"

"Wrong! Shut up already!" The "Captain" snapped at him.

"Sorry, Catp'n, I was tryin' to guess!" The sailor switched to a pirate-like dialect.

"Well! Ya suck at it!" The first sailor grumbled.

"Joey! You're mean: did ya know it?" The second sailor told him.

"Hmpf! Then you're short-sighted, Iden!" Joey snapped at him.

"Joey! Iden! Shut yer useless traps up." The "Captain" commanded.

"Yes, sir…" Both grumbled.

"Really! Ya two look like gnats. Where's that macho attitude all sailors have, huh? Are ya two chickens which can only squeak and do nothing useful or WHAT?" The "Captain" questioned.

"No!" Both growled.

"That's more like it." The "Captain" sounded slightly satisfied.

"… I am making progress but the cargo itself is still unknown. Takashimi didn't know anything, but I convinced him to turn himself on. This will help matters: the police can use the information to procure a search order and try to find out what cargo they're trying to smuggle…"

"I see."

The military man was speaking with someone using a Bluetooth device and an open cell phone while driving: the person on the other end sound slightly satisfied.

"Are you coming to Japan again?" The driver asked.

"Yes, sir. The Commissioner has granted his permission. Maybe it'd be best if you approached the guy I told you about. He's a nice guy and reliable, too." The other person replied.

"Well… Taking into account how he helped us back when we had that pinch, then I wouldn't mind it. Have you run a search with the description Takashimi provided?"

"Yes, sir. Something about the description bugged me so I came up with a rough sketch. I then realized I'd heard about the man once: he has a Navi, too. We should be glad he didn't think of bringing it over." The interlocutor confirmed.

"Hum. We really should, true. Anyway… I'll go back to my apartment and rest for some hours. Maybe the search will take place in the meanwhile. I'll keep you informed… When are you arriving here?" The driver seemed to be shrugging.

"On Sunday, sir. I have already arranged for my accommodations, sir. I'll bring my Navi along."

"Hum."

"His skills may help us in case we need to force our way into the ship and break through the onboard security systems by decoding the passwords set there, sir." The interlocutor announced.

"Good. Good evening."

"Good evening, sir."

The driver switched off the cell phone while waiting for a traffic light to change to green: it did so and the driver kept on driving while always checking the rear view mirror.

"… The _SS_ _King of the Sea_… That's the place. We'll find out who runs this business and what they are smuggling. Its last stop was at Vladivostok and they used that to smuggle weapons in… But it looks like the cargo will be wholly different this time around… Just what in the world is this cargo about?" The driver muttered aloud.

"… Drum, drum and DRUM…"

The old "WWW" HQ was filled with snow and dust along with some ice formations: the equipment kept on being destroyed and mostly useless: there was nothing strange inside of it but something happened.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh."

A red circle of flames formed out of nowhere and hovered in the air: the circle expanded and assumed the general shape of an eye: a black iris formed on the middle of it and more flames filled the rest of the spherical space.

"Heh, heh, heh. My show's begun. Ah… Yamikawa. You've been sitting idle and worried about your subtle deals and management for way too long: I've already made my homework in advance. I'm not going to intervene so much this time around: but I will show up there and there to remind you guys of whom you're dealing with. My two agents have completed the building of the hideout and they're already living there while awaiting my orders… Heh, heh, heh. I'm always ten steps ahead of you guys."

A male voice boomed out of nowhere and sounded rather amused: the "Eye" then began to look at the surroundings and spotted a frozen dragonfly set in what was left of the cave's ceiling.

"Heh, heh, heh. It'd seem you've run out of energies to hear to my crazy monologues! My, my… And here I thought ya had a lot of burnin' fire inside of ya… Guess I was mistakin' ya for Hinoken. He's still yearnin' for a secret weapon capable of destroyin' his old foe… My. This pirate dialect seems to fit me. Anyway… Let's get serious: the investigator won't think they have the upper hand for much longer." He muttered while using a pirate dialect: he then sighed and switched to a serious mood.

The "Eye" then set its gaze on a fog which was slowly creeping into the place through the destroyed front entrance and lingering around in a persistent manner.

"Heh, heh, heh… Will you be able to hide the _One Ring_ for much longer, you guys? I know everything: I am the _Nomad Emissary_… Ops. No. My name is… _Sauron_!" The voice muttered.

A holographic then popped up displaying a rather unlit room: someone's silhouette stepped towards the camera.

"Hello there."

"Boss." Someone greeted.

"Is everything alright over there, boy?"

"Yes, sir. No-one has questioned anything, sir."

"Good. Is your partner behaving?"

"Well… How should I say it…? More or less…"

"They're pushing it again?"

"True, sir."

"I'll talk with them later on. They tend to forget that you're equals and that they aren't your drill sergeant. Really… I never understood these manias but anyway… That's their behavior."

"True, sir. But that form looks sinister, sir."

"Oho. Wait a min."

The "Eye" suddenly shrunk in size and created an explosion-life effect before someone appeared there.

This "someone" was a character wearing purple clothes, a cap and a cape while having pallid white skin plus red eye irises: he didn't appeal to being even a meter and fifty tall.

"Maybe my "Gufuu" avatar is cooler?" He grinned.

"That's better, sir. No offense, sir, but one gets a repulsion-like sensation when having to stare at a floating eye-ball, sir."

"I know, boy, I know… Anyway… Any news?"

"Well, sir… I don't know it if it concerns you, sir, but… They said the last Harry Potter book, _The Deathly Hallows_, has been finished. It will be released in the summer, sir… Hype is building up, sir."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Intriguing, by Draco."

"Is that a pun on Draco Malfoy, sir?"

"Ya could say so, my chap. Let's go to Abbey Road."

"That's a _Beatles_ reference, isn't it, sir?"

"I feel in a good mood tonight. Try telling some jokes to your partner: maybe they'll find them intriguing." "Gufuu" shrugged.

"Roger, sir."

"See you around. I'll contact you again soon enough, boy."

"Goodbye, Boss."

The screen shut down and "Gufuu" formed an evil grin as he glanced at the dragonfly again: he made a courteous bow.

"Well then, Yamikawa… Enjoy the show, my dear. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!"


	2. Chapter 1: Movement

**Chapter 1: Movement**

09:16 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 4th…

"… Man. This is so hard…! Saito – niisan! Can you please lend me a hand to solve this? Please?"

"Jeez. Netto – kun! I thought you'd decided to solve it alone: you can't hope to be counting on me the whole time!"

Hikari Netto was pleading help to Saito: he was wearing his usual clothes: the orange sleeveless vest over a white shirt, jeans, white wool socks and slippers.

Saito retained his Navi bodysuit on its whole save for the helmet: he'd taken it out and let his hair flow out in a neat manner.

Netto looked nervous while Saito looked slightly annoyed.

"You've been asking me _once a week_ ever since a month ago! If you thought I forgot, then you're wrong, otouto! I can't forget things. Didn't you promise to handle everything on your own?" Saito scolded.

"Ah… Eh… But I couldn't know that…!" Netto improvised.

"No "buts", otouto: it's about time for you to take on some responsibilities: if you want to triumph in life, then you must know how to handle alone and doing homework on your own is a start!"

"… Man." Netto sighed in defeat.

"I'm not against you but it's my moral obligation as your niisan to teach you what you have to do, otouto."

"I know you'd never go "against" me per se, but… I just feel like everything is suddenly becoming very hard without giving me time to assimilate the lessons!" Netto moaned.

"If you think this is too fast, then you'll find it slow as years pass by: this is how middle school is, otouto." Saito rolled his eyes.

"And I thought I was doing fine…"

"You were! Your 1st trimester results were very good: but you mustn't lower your guard!" Saito warned.

"… You win… I'll read the lesson again and then try to see if I can solve it once and for all…"

He rummaged into his backpack and took out a math course book: he opened it and began to read it while Saito exited the room: he closed the door behind him and walked downstairs into the living room.

"Netto still tries to abuse of your patience, Saito?" Haruka asked as she cleansed the kitchen's oven.

"Yeah. Really… I hope he'll get it this time around… Anyway… I'm going to cleanse the living room a bit." Saito shrugged.

"Go ahead." Haruka encouraged.

Saito picked the vacuum cleaner and put on a white apron and cap: he then turned the vacuum cleaner on and began to cleanse the living room while humming a tune.

_It's been over a month and the _triumvirate _has been _very _quiet: Miyabi hasn't spotted anything odd in any forums or anything… And the "Eye" hasn't showed up around here anymore, either… Both of those parties _must_ be up to something…_

"… I insist! There was a flying whale!"

"A flying whale…?"

"Not again…"

"Tesla…"

Charlie Airstar sighed in defeat as Tesla Magnets came up with some boasting: Gauss looked defeated and Dr. Wily, sitting in the armchair, looked surprised.

"She means a monster the Dark Realm guys threw at us: it was a flying whale with a white beard." Airstar admitted while grumbling: he obviously didn't like the topic.

"Aw! Charlie~! You ruin the grace!" Tesla told him.

"Who knows?" He shot back.

"Heh, heh, heh… Gauss – kun. It'd seem there's going to be a passionate battle." Wily told him with a chuckle.

"M-maybe so, Dr. Wily – sama…" Gauss nervously replied.

"It ain't "maybe": it's for sure." Gyro Man warned.

"Yeah. We're doomed." Magnet Man grimly muttered.

"Oho! I know it! I'm going to invent and patent an anti-flying-whale sword! I'm a _genius_! Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Tesla suddenly looked excited.

"… Turn right and keep on for 300 meters: you will have arrived to the destination."

"Man. Why do I have to be told the route step by a step like I was a 5 year old guy?"

"…'Cause you have _zero_ sense of orientation: that's why, Dingo."

"Oh. Shut up."

Dingo was using a GPS app to navigate through the streets and looked both annoyed and defeated while Tomahawk Man looked about to explode from his bad mood.

"Remember: if ya wanna keep the work and be able to linger around here, then you have no other choice but to do what the GPS tells you. Else go back to the village." Tomahawk Man insisted.

"Damn the _triumvirate_! I'm sure they're the ones who cursed me and Totem – sama!" Dingo growled.

"Nope. There's no curse to begin with: it's a scapegoat you've come up with. Deliver that curry, get your pay, and head back to the restaurant: there's work to be done." Tomahawk Man growled.

"… Phew! This cold is fading but it's getting chilly all of a sudden when the wind sweeps the streets."

"The envoys of the _Naraku_ are at work."

"Whatever."

Dark Miyabi was walking down a street while seemingly trying to handle the gusts of wind: Shadow Man made one of his typical comments and Miyabi rolled his eyes.

"This is the calm before the storm. I should be keeping an eye around Hikari's home, but… Yuriko is taking care of that by now. I'll go try to find some Battle Chips." Miyabi muttered.

"Fine."

Miyabi spotted Higureya and calmly stepped in: Higure showed up behind the counter while rubbing his hands in excitement.

"Good morning, de masu! Welcome to Higureya, de masu! We can offer you a wide variety of Battle Chips, de masu!" He quickly announced.

"And a great variety of peculiar dialect, too, is in offer today." Number Man announced with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah! Correct, de ma…! Number Man! De masu! What was that for, de masu?" Higure grumbled.

"Dunno." Number Man shrugged.

"Long Blade: do you have any?"

"Huh! De masu! Yeah! How many do you need? De masu?"

"Two."

"5800 Credits, de masu."

"Good."

Miyabi made an electronic money transfer and the register pinged.

"Have a good morning, de masu!"

"Beware, glassy man: the envoys of the attic are coming for your flesh and soul." Shadow Man suddenly warned.

"Huh…? De masu…?" Higure looked baffled.

"Not bad." Miyabi grinned.

He stepped out of the store while Higure scratched the back of his head: Number Man whistled a tune and played the innocent.

"A~h! Number Man! De masu! The building owner will ask for the monthly payment by next month! That's what he meant! De masu!" He suddenly realized.

"Bravo, Yamitarou. It'd seem you're starting to catch up." Number Man told him with a hint of sarcasm.

"Anyway… Mariko – sensei~! You must be waiting for me to bring over some flowers next week!" Higure dramatized.

"Crap. St. Valentine's…"

"… So… Laika. You're coming over?"

"Yeah. I arrive tomorrow morning."

Ijuuin Enzan was talking with Laika over videoconference: Laika had his usual poker face on while Enzan looked in a good mood.

"I guess IPC's numbers must be a streak of green digits." Laika guessed with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah. So… What happened to the guy who got "Asteroid" Yamato Man in the end? Netto told me about it: you knew him." Enzan brought up.

"Ah. Iriya… He got quite a reprimand from Commissioner Malenkov: you can imagine it! A man from my same Sharo Net Police division actually ransacking museums… He was under detention for a while and he ended up repented of it." Laika sighed and looked troubled.

"Oh. Sorry for bringing the topic up." Enzan apologized.

"Don't mind it, Enzan. Even though that was over a year ago, I mustn't forget the lesson: not even we Net Police are free from temptation. We aren't perfect." Laika turned serious again.

"… You figured the guy out by his sword pattern, didn't you?" Blues asked Search Man.

"Yeah. But at least the man tried to redeem himself by trying to stop the "Asteroid" with his own life in risk…" Search Man confirmed.

"The _triumvirate_ has been _very_ quiet as of late. They must be working on something new or hoping that we'll lower our guards." Enzan muttered while bringing a hand to his chin.

"I called Princess Pride: they're concerned about increased factory production in a Dark Land factory, though… And the sudden secrecy that place has undergone reeks." L.

"Hum. So… The _triumvirate_ must've leant them the schematics for STS or they're trying to come up with decoys and misinformation." Enzan guessed.

"I've got work to do, so… We'll see each other tomorrow."

"Good. I'll come pick you up." Enzan told him.

"Thanks."

"I'll look forward to working together again, Blues."

"Count on me: no grunts will be able to escape my sharp double-edged swords." Blues joked.

"… What is Dark Land plotting this time around…? Las time they came up with something was way over two years ago…" Enzan wondered aloud.

"We cannot know with such scarce information, Enzan – sama. But maybe we'll end up getting a lead somewhere." Blues suggested.

"Yeah… I hope so…"

"… The security was too high, Princess – sama. I still believe it could perfectly be a decoy."

"Yeah. But I won't be at ease until we know what in the world is going on inside of that place."

Knight Man had come to report to Pride: she sported her street clothes and looked unsatisfied with the current state of affairs.

"Maybe we could use Shadow Man's help and Search Man's help: they're good at infiltrating systems in a stealth manner." Knight Man suggested to Pride.

"Yeah. But let's hold back and carefully think about it: we won't get any good from rushing it all." Pride replied.

"Roger."

Pride sighed and looked at some official documents on her desk: she picked a golden pen and began to firm some of them while making sure to check them over: she looked serious and thoughtful.

_Dark Land tricked us with the "double agent" ploy over two years ago: but we won't fall for the same trick twice! "Fool me once, you're to shame. Fool me twice, I'm to shame", as they say…_

"… Ah… I feel tired! Trekking for an hour uphill to find the first shoots of the flower was a killer!"

"And you were used to it, too, so… I guess you didn't have a good enough breakfast, Jasmine."

Jasmine sat down on one of her home's armchairs and looked tired: she carried a water canteen and a pouch with some herbs and flower samples set there.

"Jasmine. I appreciate your hard work, but remember that you must be filled with energies before heading off to the mountain."

"I knew that, Grandfather… I tried to rush it." She replied.

"See, Jasmine? I knew that was the reason." Meddy shrugged.

"Please… I feel dizzy." Jasmine muttered.

"Trying to climb fast without giving your lungs time to compensate for the difference in heights is no good: take it into mind." Cardamon warned her as he looked out towards a nearby mountain.

"You tried to rush it all, Jasmine. Cool it down." Meddy told her.

"I'll try…" Jasmine sighed.

"You mustn't try to rush things: they will come when the time for them is correct." Cardamon suggested.

"… It must be interesting to be on the other side of the picture… But… I wouldn't like it. No. I'm not that kind of person."

"I'm glad to see you're realizing that's not stuff you should think about, Meiru – chan. It can leave people marked for life."

"… Yeah. You're right, Roll…"

Sakurai Meiru was talking with Roll inside of her house while working on a piano lesson.

She sported her usual clothes but her pink skirt was longer and reached until the knees.

She looked somewhat concerned over something: Roll had the same kind of face as well.

"Why don't we keep on with the piano lesson, Meiru – chan? I thought it was important. Am I right?" Roll suggested with a smile as if trying to change the topic.

"Yeah. I want to have it finished for Monday's off-time music class: it's an important piece." Meiru nodded in agreement.

"OK!"

"… Oi! Nenjiro! Whaddya think of my new fireworks pattern? Ain't it cool enough?"

"… Plug yer ears, Nenji…"

"Yikes!"

Rokushakudama Nenji recoiled after a twitch appeared over "Asteroid" Napalm Man's right eye: he looked about to explode given his face and grumbling under his breath.

"I AIN'T NENJIRO~! _BAKA_ GRUNT!" He yelled.

"Wha~t? _Baka_ grunt, ya called me! Why, you…!" Rokushakudama cursed.

His eyes got white and a twitch showed up over his right eye while he drew his teeth in a menacing manner.

"Hah! Robot Head didn't make ya smarter: it made ya shorter on temper, after all!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Che!"

"Hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"… Jeez. What's wrong with this car?"

"Shah, shah, shah! Dunno…"

Oozono Yuriko had opened her yellow car's hood and was checking its engine while Needle Man looked on.

"It won't start: has the battery gone out or what? Come on… I was supposed to be watching around Netto's place by now!" She cursed.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Maybe ya need to call the mechanic to tow it to the workshop and then head over there on foot?" Needle Man suggested while shrugging.

"Huh? What's that?"

She leant towards the battery: one of the contacts, the minus one, had been detached from its place.

"This is no accident: deliberate sabotage! Who the hell could've done this, anyway? I can fix it here and now." She cursed.

She picked the contact and placed it on its place before trying to ignite the car: it ignited but then the "low gasoline" LED turned on.

"By all the… The last thing I needed."

"Shah, shah, shah! I don't believe this is a coincidence."

"Sure as Hell that it isn't!"

09:44 AM (Japan Time)…

"… The phone's ringing, Saito! Can you please pick it up?"

"Yeah. I'm on it."

Saito walked over to the video phone and picked it up: the screen didn't turn on but the line connected.

"Hello?" A familiar voice asked.

"Papa? Has something happened?" Saito asked.

"Sorry if there's no video… My camera broke by accident… Eh… I actually forgot some documents yesterday night… Could you look for them and leave them on my office's desk? I'll come over to pick them in a little while…" Yuuichirou sounded ashamed.

"What documents?"

"They're about that program I talked about… It's 80% complete by now, but… There are some equations and calculations there which are vital to progress…" Yuuichirou admitted.

"Huh… How can I tell them apart?" Saito frowned.

"They're labeled "02_02": I worked on them on February the 2nd, Thursday… Check the drawers too." Yuuichirou specified.

"Fine. I'll search for them. Later, Papa."

"Thanks."

Saito replaced the phone and headed into the office: he began to search the drawers.

"Eh… February the 2nd…" He muttered.

BANG!

The shot of a service revolver rang out on the street: Saito was frozen in place and then heard sounds of hurried footsteps running away all of a sudden.

"What the…? Who shot that?" He cursed.

He ran out of the office and into Netto's room: Netto had come out into the balcony and spotted about three persons carrying a gray cloth covering a fourth person: they were heading towards a deep green Toyota which had the engine on and seemed to be waiting for them.

"Abduction…?" Netto gasped.

"I'll give chase! Wait here, otouto! They must be armed!" Saito told him with a serious look.

"O. K.! I'll back you up with Battle Chips!" Netto confirmed.

Saito dropped down from the balcony and ran towards the car: it was already running off.

"No time for Battle Chips… Rock…!" He muttered as he drew the Rock Buster and aimed for a wheel.

A grenade was tossed from the driver's window by a hand having a white plastic glove on: it bounced off the ground once and then came to roll towards Saito's feet: it detonated and a caused a powerful white flash along with a loud bang which disconcerted him for a split moment.

_Flash bang grenade…!_

He managed to recover his normal sight and hearing: the car was nowhere to be seen: Saito cursed under his breath and headed towards the house while feeling empty-handed.

_They ran away! But… The police should be able to intercept them once I provide a description of the car…_

He found Haruka looking out into the street while being pale.

"Mama? What's wrong?" Saito asked.

"That gentleman… He was about to ring our house's bell when three men came out of the bushes and headed towards him! He took out a gun and shot in the air before the others took out silent guns and shot at the man: he collapsed and they then caught him!" She described.

"Did you spot anything peculiar about the man?" Netto asked as he ran down the stairs.

"Uh… His jacket: I've seen a similar one somewhere else. I don't know if it's fashion or not."

"Did the three men strike out somehow?"

"Hmmm… They looked rough: maybe they were workers." Haruka sounded unsure.

"This is so strange: with such a vague description, how can we hope to narrow them down?" Netto frowned.

"Well… I could pick up the registration plate number, though. I'm going to call to the police and warn them."

"… Mr. T.! Success! We got the guy like ya said."

"Good. Remain on port for the next 24 hours until one certain "guest" makes its way onboard."

The man known as "Captain" was talking with his employer via a cell phone from a room which looked like a ship's cabin: it had a bulk, a small square table, a chair and a porthole over the bulk.

"Uh… And what do we do with the man? I mean… We had to use tranquilizer bullets to catch 'im, but…" The "Captain" asked.

"Well. Close him somewhere but make sure no big harm comes to him: do not deprive him of food or drink, either. I know _everything_, _anytime_, _anywhere_. It's useless to try to fool me: you'll regret it dearly."

"R-roger… By your orders…"

"Heh, heh, heh. This show is getting interesting. Our beloved monsters: the next episode will make up for this one's sudden chilly end… Enjoy yourselves…" Mr. T. chuckled.

"Yikes."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"


	3. Chapter 2: The King of the Sea

**Chapter 2: King of the Sea**

08:58 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 5th…

"… Hum… Huff. Well. I'm making a breakthrough."

Hikari Yuuichirou was going over something using his PC on the Science Labs and humming a tune: the phone on the desk rang and he picked it up to answer it up.

"Hikari lab." He announced.

"Papa?" A familiar voice asked.

"Saito? Is something the matter?" Yuuichirou asked.

"I couldn't find those documents…" Saito sounded guilty.

"What documents?" Yuuichirou frowned.

"Huh? The ones labeled "02_2" and about that program you'd spoken about sometimes… You called me yesterday morning around 10 AM and told me they were on your office. I searched all of it while cleansing it and didn't find them. You said you'd drop by to pick them up…"

"10 AM…? That can't be: I was in the middle of a staff meeting. We were going over security." Yuuichirou frowned.

"What?" Saito sounded puzzled.

"Is something the matter, Hikari – hakase?" Meijin asked as he popped out of an adjacent lab.

"Meijin… The staff meeting… When did it end?"

"Eh… Around 12 PM…"

"Did I go out around 10 AM to make a call?" Yuuichirou asked next.

"No, hakase. You were going over the flaws on our security which had left us vulnerable to attacking in the past."

"Then I don't get it. Saito says I called him yesterday to have him search some documents. But those documents are on my safe."

"Then I don't get it. Who else but Papa could know about them? I thought it was top-secret." Saito sounded dizzy, even.

"Dr. Hikari." A voice called out.

"Oh. Dr. Regal. Good morning."

This man looked on his late thirties or close to his forties.

He had jet black hair and some of it ran down the sides of his head in two irregular strings while the rest grew until almost the base of the neck.

His right eye was blue while his left eye had a monocle with a purple rim set over it: the monocle's rim included an arrow pointing towards the left.

His face had some traces of a beard as well.

He wore a custom-looking dress consisting of an overall bright brown wool-like jumper with a grayish/brownish neck.

A purple sweater was set beneath it: the sweater had four small squares set on a row and he also sported wool-like purple-colored pants.

A pattern formed on the jumper's neck: a thick stripe run down the jumper before it divided into two curved stripes which formed a circle and then reunited into one: this process was repeated thrice.

Two incomplete circles were set near the wrists and the wrists had a rim of the same color which formed a curved-shape piece extending into the top of the palm.

The man wore black leather-like gloves as well.

"I have found something worrying." He announced.

"What is it, Dr. Regal?" Yuuichirou asked.

"The "Eye": it came back." He summarized.

"What!" Both of them gasped.

"The "Eye", you say?" Saito gasped as well.

"Tell us more, Dr. Regal."

"Well. It hijacked the phone from Hikari – hakase's office and imitated your voice." Dr. Regal added.

"So that's how it was about! The "Eye" did that on purpose to keep me busy!" Saito exclaimed.

"You mean… He's connected to the abduction of that man which happened yesterday morning?" Yuuichirou guessed.

"Sadly enough, no recordings were left." An echoing voice announced: it sounded similar to Dr. Regal's own.

"Could you spot how did it make it inside, anyway?" Meijin asked.

"I did." The voice replied through Dr. Regal's black Link PET.

The emblem was a series of vertical stripes of several colors which stood for the light's specters: ultraviolet was set as the leftmost and it climbed up the scale until it reached the infrared.

"Laser Man. Tell them the results of our research." Dr. Regal commanded while looking at the PET.

"Roger."

A Navi projected out of the Link PET: he looked almost two meters tall and his main body color was black.

He had a diamond-shaped head with a small white slit surrounded by a purple rim: a blue-colored vertical stripe crossed through it from the top and two more formed under the slit while the top of his head had a blue rectangle-like shape: each side of the head had a descending line which then branched into two and kept on running down the sides of the head.

He had two shirt-neck objects near the neck and a slightly curved stripe directly underneath the neck: another two vertical stripes were set on the sides.

Two slightly diagonal lines originated from the neck ran until the knees.

A couple of lines shaped like ascending and descending triangles were set above and below his chest emblem.

The two main lines had two horizontal stripes set above and below the emblem connecting them: a thin and colorless vertical slit ran down the upper body through the middle of it.

Another two diagonal thin lines marked the beginning of the shoulders from which two arms originated.

They had blue stripes running down its middle section from above and below before they formed a circle around the wrist.

Two black-colored gloved hands of five fingers each came out: each finger had two thin circular stripes above and below the middle section of them.

His main body ended in a slightly circular opening from which his two legs came out: they each had two vertical parallel stripes running down until the knee: each foot only had three fingers shaped like claw fingers and the rear part of each foot had a small ramp-like shape attached to it.

There was a triangle-shaped stripe set around the base of the fingers with another blue stripe around their base.

Two slightly curved extensions formed on his back slightly beneath the head: they had a general Alphabet U letter shape and each one had blue stripe running down its perimeter: these extensions ended into square openings: the insides of them were colored purple.

His chest emblem was the same as in the PET: a series of vertical stripes of several colors which stood for the light's specters: ultraviolet was set as the leftmost and it climbed up the scale until it reached the infrared.

Overall, the Navi looked powerful and imposing.

"It bypassed the firewall by using a faked ACL IP Address." Laser Man reported.

"I see. This one prefers subtleness to brute force." Meijin brought a hand to his chin.

"Well. At least I solved this headache. But this looks like it's the start of that guy's _show_. He must want to make us fear his next move. What a jerk, really." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. I get that same feeling, too." Yuuichirou sighed.

"And I'm sure that the "freezing" and blinding effects are just there to hide the Navi behind the "cover": that "Eye" is just a program which acts as VPN tunnel. All we know is that the Navi is male but that's hardly a hint: it's always using an alias to hide." Meijin exposed.

"… Well… I guess I'll be going back to cleansing… Later, Papa."

Yuuichirou replaced the receiver and everyone sighed: they were stuck.

_Just who is that "Eye"? _

"… So… The "Eye" wanted to keep you busy so that you couldn't react in time to avoid the abduction."

"Yeah. That sums it up."

Netto and Saito were going over the earlier conversation: Saito looked defeated while Netto looked annoyed.

"When will the guy stop fooling around and show his ugly hide around here, anyway? I'm tired of having to wait for it." Netto grumbled.

"Yeah. But we can't do anything yet: we've got no leads." Saito sighed and shrugged.

Netto's Link PET rang and he picked it up: Commissioner Kifune was onscreen.

"Oh! Good morning, Commissioner." Netto greeted.

"Good morning, Netto – kun and Saito – kun. Could you please come over to my office? We believe we have some info regarding the ongoing abduction case." Kifune told them.

"Roger! We'll be heading there ASAP." Netto acknowledged.

"Good."

Netto placed the PET on the strap and then climbed downstairs to put on his typical orange sneakers: Saito wrote a note and attached it to the fridge with a magnet.

"O. K. Let's go, niisan." Netto announced.

"Yeah. This looks important." Saito nodded in agreement.

He dematerialized and returned inside of the Link PET: Netto came out of the house and locked it down: he spotted Miyabi reading a book while sitting on a nearby tree's branch.

"Oi! Miyabi. I'm off to the Net Police HQ: there's new info." Netto announced.

"Good. I'll escort you until there." Miyabi nodded in agreement.

"My blade will scare off the deadly roses." Shadow Man enigmatically announced.

"At least it's not the usual stuff…"

"Ah. But those roses come from…" Shadow Man began.

"No need: I know what comes next. Save it up." Miyabi grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh. You can be short of patience when you want to, Miyabi. It amuses me." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Hmpf. Guess so." Miyabi looked unimpressed.

The two of them headed off but didn't spot someone looking at them from inside of some bushes: the silhouette made a grin and looked amused.

_Heh, heh, heh… Netto – kun… You'll soon know that you have a new rival around here…_

The unknown person slid out of the bushes and ran away while making a giggle-like sound under its breath.

"… Good morning. Commissioner Kifune. Manabe – san."

"Good morning."

Netto and Saito entered the office and stood in front of the Commissioner's desk.

"We found the car: it'd been destroyed at a car compactor plant. And it'd been stolen, too, so we have no way of tracking it. It looks like they firstly used a bomb to incinerate it and then finished it off with the compactor machine." Kifune went straight to the point.

"They were very paranoid in not leaving fingerprints behind, then… Are there any other leads?" Netto muttered with a hint of annoyance before asking aloud.

"We got a call from the police: a sailor named Takashimi Ryou surrendered to them on Friday evening. He admitted having been involved in some smuggling in the past and having planted malware in some ship's systems: the most recent case was the ship he worked on until a week ago: the _King of the Sea_. So, I called you two because we need to remove that malware from the ship's systems. We'll be interviewing the officers to try to find out more information about that sailor."

"I see." Saito looked interested.

"Also… Hikari – hakase told us about the "Eye" and its little ploy of yesterday… We should be careful when using open communications and employ some kind of code to check if the caller is the real one."

"Yeah. We don't wanna be fooled twice." Netto shrugged.

"In any case… This is what we have devised: we'll be having an interview and you two will check out the system. We got the backing up of the port authorities and they cannot refuse to it." Kifune announced as he stood up from his chair.

"Let's get going: the car is waiting." Manabe instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Both of them confirmed.

"… What? The Net Police are gonna come onboard, Mr. T.? What are we gonna do?"

The "Captain" was speaking with Mr. T. over the cell phone and he sounded nervous.

"Send your first mate and pretend you're ill."

"And then?"

"Then you make him talk about Takashimi in a manner that you didn't like his behavior and fired him because he was trying to smuggle opium which he hid on his quarters. There will be a "Net Savior" who will be checking out the ship's systems to search for some "malware" which Takashimi left behind." Mr. T. calmly instructed.

"Ah. I see. And that guy is the "guest" we talked about?"

"Correct, Captain. Come up with some excuse after the Net Police officers finish the interview: they won't doubt it. Then ignite engines and head off towards Anchorage: the cargo must be distributed there." Mr. T. instructed.

"Roger."

"Ah. One thing: I will allow for the use of a blunt artifact to knock the "guest" out, but, afterwards… No harm must come upon him or his Net Navi. Am I clear enough, Captain?" Mr. T. warned.

"Eh… Yes, sir… By your orders…" 'Captain' nervously replied.

"Fine. I'll contact you later."

The call ended and "Captain" sighed in relief: a nearby interphone buzzed to signal a call.

"Captain! Three persons climbed down from a car: they look like authorities coming to inspect the ship!" Someone reported.

"Huh! They're already here… Where's Allan?" The "Captain" gasped.

"On his cabin, I think…" The caller muttered.

"Good! Go back to your post."

"Aye, aye!"

The "Captain" pressed a key and established a line.

"Allan! Hear me out: go out and greet the guests. Tell 'em I'm ill and if they ask about Takashimi…"

"Yeah? What do I do?"

"… Then lead them to your cabin and talk about Takashimi like he was a useless smuggler who tried to play smart with us and then left malware behind. They won't doubt it. Gotcha?" "Captain" told him.

"Roger. It'll be a piece of a cake." The man named Allan replied.

"Have Joey wait in the crab hold: the "Net Savior" might pop the head out in there. Have 'im knock the guy out and close 'im on the extra hold on the 4th deck." He instructed next.

"We should shut off the guy's PET, too?" Allan asked.

"Yeah. It'll be safer. But don't try to beat the crap outta the guy: Mr. T. wants the guy in one piece. One fake move and we can say bye to our salary AND you neck. Gotcha? Remember this to the others too so that they don't act funny." The "Captain" warned.

"Huh! Yeah… I'll tell Joey ASAP… Later."

"Later."

The "Captain" opened the port hole and looked out towards the bow of the ship with a pair of binoculars.

"Hum!"

A man could be seen standing at the end of the gangway: he looked on his forties and seemed to have brown hair.

He wore a brownish raincoat along with boots and a sailor's cap.

He was smoking a cigarette as well.

"That's Allan: the guy's quick. Eh… A man on his fifties… A woman on her thirties… What! That gnat…! There's no mistakin' it! I ain't senile yet, by the Seven Seas!" The man muttered as he looked on.

He lowered the binoculars and brought them up again: Netto could be seen showing his PET's "Net Savior" hologram while Kifune and Manabe were talking with the man named Allan.

"Yeah…! Hikari Netto…! So that's why Mr. T. was so interested on the guy… But orders are orders! I'll settle it with the gnat later on." The "Captain" muttered.

He spotted how Kifune and Manabe followed Allan towards an open cabin's door while Netto headed inside of the ship towards an open door and down some stairs: a sailor crept towards there while having a plastic baton on his right hand.

"That's good ol' Joey: the guy always has an ace up his sleeves! Heh, heh, heh… Let's go issue orders to the engine room to get everything ready to exit port… Heh, heh, heh… Mr. T. is so clever! He lured 'em 'ere with a simple and easily believable tale… Hikari Netto! I'll settle it with ya one of these days!" The "Captain" muttered.

"… How is it, Rock Man? Have you found anything?"

"Yeah. 3 Mettools, 2 Garuus, 1 Spark Bees and 1 Curzdo…"

"Hum. Then that of the malware was no joke."

Netto was holding his Link PET while standing in front of a control panel next to a lock door and looking at the holographic screen: Rock Man was facing the pack of seven Viruses.

"We need something to wipe them out in a flash… Oh! Gotcha! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!" Netto muttered before announcing a move.

"Triple Bomb!"

Rock Man threw it at the center of the pack and blew all of them save for the Mettools out: they'd hidden under their hard hats: they then came out and struck the ground with their pickaxes to cause their typical shockwave which swept across the ground: Rock Man jumped into the air to dodge.

"Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball! Slot In!"

"Ice Cannon Ball!"

The projectile hit the ground and the Mettools were unable to react in time as they were frozen in place.

"Battle Chip, Elec Blade!" Netto announced as he "dragged" the 3D icon into Rock Man.

Rock Man struck the ground with it: the electricity hit the Mettools and they were deleted: the core stabilized and the lock was released: Rock Man then walked over to the core and brought up some screens.

"Well. It'd seem they'd all gathered there from different spots in the ship… There aren't any more of them left, Netto – kun." He reported.

"Good. Let's check the hold just in case: there may be a loose device which isn't listed in the system index."

Netto stepped in and used the PET's flashlight to illuminate the hold's interior: it was filled with square wooden boxes: Netto looked at their labels.

"Crab meat: imported from Oosaka. Destination: Anchorage, Alaska, Ameroupe."

"… Hmmm! Crab meat… It must be juicy!"

"Netto – kun! We're not here to eat!" Saito scolded.

"Come on! No – one will mind if one can is missing: this is investigation, too!"

"Jeez. You're acting just like Dekao back when we were investigation the "Sushi Wily" locale the "Professor" owned!" Saito grumbled.

Netto grinned and opened one of the boxes: several rows of cans identical to the one Takashimi had held were aligned there: he picked one and immediately frowned.

"… Weird. I mean… If there was crab meat, it should be heavier, but… It feels rather empty and light!" He muttered.

"Are you sure? Maybe this one got packed empty by mistake?" Saito frowned.

Netto shook it: something could be heard sliding inside of the can and hitting the cover from the inside.

"Weird. It sounds like something small is set inside of it instead." He muttered.

"Why don't you open it and check it out?" Saito suggested.

Netto was about to say something when he was struck in the head from behind with a lot of force: he lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground while letting go of the can: it rolled across the ground.

"W-what?" Saito gasped.

However, someone grabbed the PET and shut it off.

"… Thank you for sparing your time with us, first mate Thompson."

"No. It's nothing, really…"

Kifune and Manabe came out of the cabin followed by Allan: Kifune looked around the deck.

"Ah! Sir… If you're looking for the boy, he left after a person named Meijin called him over: it'd seem something has happened elsewhere." One sailor announced.

"Oh! Then we better get on the move as well. Good morning." Kifune nodded in agreement.

"Good morning." Allan took off the cap to greet.

Both climbed down the gangway and climbed into the car to leave: Allan ignited a new cigarette and chuckled.

"Good job, Joey. The Capt'n told ya?" Allan guessed.

"Yeah. The gnat is napping on the hold like he commanded. It was close: they'd almost found out what was inside of the hold." Joey admitted with a grin.

"Heh! Men! Raise the gangway, loose the lines! We're settin' off to Anchorage ASAP: we gotta have left port in less than an hour's time! Move it!" Allan commanded.

"Aye, aye!"

The orders were carried out swiftly and efficiently: the horn rang out and smoke began to come out of the funnel: the ship maneuvered and headed towards the port's exit.

"Heh, heh, heh. Success!"

The "Captain" was looking out and chuckled aloud.

"They're powerless to stop us! By the time they catch up, we'll already be far from 'ere!" He muttered.

"… Forte! We've got _trouble_."

"Wha! What trouble?"

Freeze Man had run inside of a snow-covered Cyber World to find Forte standing there and looking at several holographic screens.

"Hikari: he's been abducted!" Freeze Man reported.

"What!" Forte gasped.

"I was talking with Meijin on the Science Labs: it'd seem that both Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe were investigating this affair about that sailor: someone told them Hikari had run off the ship upon getting a call from Meijin and they fell for it: the ship has departed the port by now and it's almost entered international waters. We know it's headed to Anchorage, but… We can't intercept it: it seems to have vanished off the radar altogether." Freeze Man explained.

"Find them!"

"Alright."

He ran off the base while Forte closed his right fist and growled something while being clearly frustrated.

"Shit. All of our safety protocols were in vain! That bothersome "Eye" is getting annoying! I'll personally rip it off and unveil the jerk hiding behind that mask! Hikari, Saito! I owe my life to you two: this is why I've been trying to help you! No more sitting idle: if that guy wants a war… Then I'll bring war to him! Stick out your neck! DAMN IT!"


	4. Chapter 3: Smugglers

**Chapter 3: Smugglers**

12:12 PM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 5th…

"… O~w… What a pain! What the hell happened?"

Netto slowly opened his eyes while trying to ignore his aching skull: his vision was blurry.

"Huh… Let's stand up and… What? I can't move!" He muttered before gasping.

He opened his eyes wide in fear and looked around: he was sitting on a metallic ground inside of some sort of small hold.

He had ropes tying his wrists to a horizontal metal bar placed across the ground behind him, on the shoulders and chest.

He also had ropes tying his ankles which were also tied to another horizontal bar in front of him.

There was a locked door close by and some cargo crates along with a flotation ring and a fire extinguisher.

The light came from fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

"Shit. You're gonna tell me the whole thing was a trap the "Eye" staged for us." He growled.

He looked at his Link PET: it was obviously off.

"But I still have Miyabi's trick… Huh? Someone's coming…" He muttered before hearing the sound of footsteps: two pairs of them.

The door opened and Allan stepped in while having a smug smile on his face.

"Well? Gnat? Did that nap do well to yer curiosity?" He mocked.

"First mate Thompson… You guys work for the "Eye"!" Netto growled.

"The "Eye"… His name is Mr. T, you idiot!" A gruff voice rang out from the corridor.

"That voice…!" Netto gasped.

A second man stepped into the hold.

The man looked around a meter and seventy tall and over his 30s, maybe closer to his 40s.

He had a moustache plus two patches of beard on the SE and SW corners of his chin: his hair was brownish-colored and came out from beneath a sailor's cap in a messy manner while extending across half of his back.

The man wore blue shorts complimented with black leather boots and shoulder straps: he also sported a red and white stripped sleeveless shirt plus a sailor's cap.

His right shoulder had a tattoo depicting the shape of a dolphin drawn into it while his hands were covered by white gloves.

"Kurohige!" He yelled in surprise.

"That's _Captain_ to ya!"

"Weren't you working in an aquarium with Chirol? Wily told me!" Netto told him.

"Yeah! True! But! I got approached by Mr. T back on December! Chirol got a job in a circus, too. Good fella." Kurohige grinned.

"Correct, de a~ru…"

"Ain't it, Dive Man?"

Dive Man, his Navi, projected out of one of those "Beyondard Model" PETs colored azure and having the drawing of a periscope emerging from the waters.

His head was shaped like a submarine's "sail", including a periscope and two diving planes plus the ear-pads: his face was set on the front of it and consisted in just the eyes and the mouth: he held a pipe on his mouth which emitted smoke like a real one.

His upper torso was shaped like a submarine and spanned until the waist

His forearms also had fins on them and his hands were covered in the typical white skin.

His legs ended up in circle-shaped metallic objects painted navy blue.

They also had two capsule-like objects covering them below the knees: each "capsule" had a fin facing outwards: the legs over the knees were colored black.

Overall, he looked like a combination between a submarine and a veteran sailor.

"So! The "Eye" goes by the name of Mr. T. And he ordered you guys to catch me." Netto calmly guessed.

"Yeah! But I didn't know it was ya 'till ya came onboard: I was watchin' it through binoculars." Kurohige admitted.

"So the Viruses and the calls were set up by the guy, too. And that Takashimi person was part of it, too."

"Wrong. Takashimi talked too much to a "Net Savior" and ran away: he surrounded to the cops but he's too afraid to tell it all so he came up with a different tale. But I don't care anymore by now, anyway." Kurohige shrugged.

"And those tins didn't have crab meat on it."

"Yeah. But I'm not gonna ruin the surprise."

"I'll make the fourth pass, de a~ru…" Dive Man muttered.

"Oi! Ya! We aren't playin' Trumps!" Kurohige snapped.

"De a~ru…"

"Anyway! Mr. T wants ya in one piece, so… Enjoy this trip 'till we reach Anchorage!" Kurohige grinned.

"Anchorage! That's in Alaska! The ship is moving, then?" Netto gasped and looked nervous.

"Yeah! Have at ya!" Kurohige laughed.

Both of them came out and slammed the door shut: Netto could hear Kurohige laughing in the corridor.

"Damn. Time to use Miyabi's trick: let's get outta this mess." Netto muttered.

He managed to make force with his right wrist: something got loose and a small knife slid out of the right sleeve.

"Heh."

Netto used his fingertips to hold it and move it to slice the ropes on his wrists: he then used the knife to cut the ones on his ankles.

"Good."

He aimed it upwards and used his freed feet to cut the ropes over his upper torso and below the shoulders.

"Phew." He sighed in relief.

He picked the PET and booted it up: Saito appeared onscreen while rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn.

"Huh… Netto – kun… Ah! What happened? Why did you lose consciousness? Who attack you?" Saito muttered before gasping and looking wide awake.

"Huff! See! This whole stuff was a trap staged by the "Eye"! His newest show!"

"What!" Saito gasped.

"There's _something_ hidden in those tins: there's no doubt about it anymore! Kurohige and Dive Man are in charge of this place." Netto told him.

"Kurohige and Dive Man! Crap. I just noticed… There's a jammer field all around the ship: no signals can come in or out!" Saito cursed.

"Materialize and let's try to find a way out." Netto suggested.

"Roger!"

Saito materialized and took out his helmet: both nodded in agreement and Saito kicked the corridor's door open: he aimed the Rock Buster left and front: there was no – one but there was a door immediately to the right and another at end of the corridor.

"Clear." Saito whispered.

"Roger."

Both crept towards the door at the right and looked through the window.

"Huh?"

There was a tall column on the middle of it: a man was chained to it and had a gag on.

He looked on his thirties and wore the Sharo Net Police uniform just like Laika.

He had brownish hair and eyes.

"Ah! That uniform… Sharo Net Police…! He must be the person Kurohige and co. abducted yesterday!" Netto gasped.

"Let's help him!" Saito rallied.

He kicked the door open and the man looked surprised: Netto ran next to him and took out the gag.

"Hikari Netto – kun?" The man asked.

"Yes, sir. Correct." He confirmed.

"Laika told me about you." The man admitted.

"Laika did?" Saito wondered.

"Ah. You must be Rock Man. I didn't know you could materialize… Oh. Excuse me. Dimitri Oroyof. Sharo Net Police 4th Unit." The man sounded surprised before introducing himself.

"I thought Laika was 4th Unit, too…" Netto frowned.

"Correct. I was his instructor." Oroyof admitted.

"Does Oroyof – san know about the cargo?" Saito asked.

"No. Takashimi only got to show me an empty can which he'd picked out of the litter. Did he talk about this affair?" Oroyof replied.

"Not exactly… He tried to camouflage it and make it look like he'd been fired for trying to smuggle stuff. The guy behind this, Mr. T., did get to add some extra info to lure us in. And I did get to find one of those tins but was knocked out before I could check it out." Netto admitted.

"Takashimi… I save his life and that's how he thanks me? What an unthankful man." Oroyof grumbled.

"Hmmm… Netto – kun. Give me a Gold Fist: I may be able to break these chains." Saito requested.

"Sure. Battle Chip, Gold Fist. Slot In."

Saito grabbed the padlock and crushed with his renewed strength: one of the locks came off and the chains slid into the ground: Oroyof rubbed his wrists and stepped two paces forward.

"Thank you. Let's see… I think one of the main holds is up ahead. We should check it out: there could be more of those tins there." He suggested a course of action.

"I'll take point." Saito announced.

They came out into the corridor and heard two pairs of footsteps.

"Capt'n says these tranquilizer guns are just to intimidate. We aren't supposed to use 'em." A sailor's voice was commenting.

"Whatever." The other shrugged.

One of them opened the first hold's door while the other kept on forward towards the other room: Netto and Oroyof were already running towards the door at the end of the corridor while Saito glued his back towards the wall and the sailor didn't spot him as he stepped into the other room without looking around.

"The gnat's gone!"

"The Sharo guy is gone!"

Saito was already running towards the open door when both sailors began to chase him.

"Shoot!" One yelled.

"Yeah!"

They shot two tranquilizer bullets which missed: Saito turned around and aimed his Rock Buster at the ceiling's bulb.

"Rock Buster!"

The sudden loss of a patch of light distracted them as he ran inside.

"Good job!" Oroyof complemented.

They began to pile the crates and formed a barricade as the two sailors tried to force the door open.

"Damn!"

"Shit!"

They stopped altogether and they heard them running off.

"Phew!" Netto sighed in relief.

"We drove them off." Saito smiled.

Oroyof was already inspecting the hold: there were several crates and an open porthole: he looked out and saw that they were at the lowest deck just above the surface.

"Let's check the crates." He suggested.

They opened one and found four champagne bottles neatly aligned over a bed of straw.

"Champagne… It'd seem it's become fashionable again." Oroyof muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oroyof – san! There's a tin-filled crate over here!" Saito called out.

"Yeah! We can finally get to the bottom of this." Netto grinned.

They took the cover out and spotted the tons of aligned tins: Netto picked one and shook it up.

"No doubt: it's empty and something small is inside of it." Netto muttered as he heard to the sounds.

"Does it have an easy opening system?".

"Yeah. I pull the ring and the cover comes off…" Netto muttered.

"Finally…" Oroyof muttered.

"Huh? What's this?"

The tin's walls were cushioned with cotton and four small rectangular objects surrounded by a small black plastic cover were piled inside of it in a neat manner.

"Rare Chips…?" Netto wondered.

"Let's check it out." Saito rallied.

He picked one and examined the black covering: there was a small indentation which seemingly served to open it and take the object out.

"Netto – kun. I can't do it with my hands: it needs nails." He told him as he handed it to him.

"Let's see… I pull this up… The cover opens… I turn it upside down and the object slides out…" Netto muttered.

He placed his left hand beneath it as something did slide down of it and it landed on his left palm: they looked at it for some seconds before they all gasped.

"DARK CHIP!" They gasped.

This "Dark Chip" had the classical orange dome and the only difference he could find with those made by "Nebula" was the fact that it had a purple skull and crossbones painted beneath the dome: it kept on having the usual purple and creepy light to its dome.

"No way…!" Netto gasped.

He turned it around and found a drawing on the back of it: it looked like the Alphabet letter T with two round spiral circles on each extreme.

The central part of the letter was also drawn as curved.

"The purple skull and crossbones… This is the model Twilight came up with shortly before his "escape"! They can corrupt Navis!" Saito gasped.

"And that symbol based off a Greek column which is drawn behind it must be Mr. T.'s own crest. So this is why he imposed so much hush-hush… He was aiming for us to find it in person and get shocked." Oroyof grimly muttered.

Netto's Link PET suddenly beeped and Saito picked it up: a new email had arrived.

"This has to be from someone _inside_ the ship: nothing can come in from outside it." Saito guessed.

He opened it and immediately looked annoyed.

"I knew it: the guy wants to laugh at us. Listen: "Good job, Meitantei Brothers! Feeling the fear and terror? I'm so gonna make you guys dance to my rhythmic all night long 'till dawn creeps into my Wiseman's Hall! _Oh yeah_! Shake it up and come up with a Vesper Cocktail. I'm a genius! Yours elegantly, T."… What a snobby guy." Saito grumbled.

"He copied that from Raoul… And that of the "Meitantei Brothers" is so stupid, really… He's gotta be lingering around and laughing under his breath upon seeing our shock." Netto grumbled.

"And he timed it so that I was captured when I was going to ask for your cooperation at Laika's suggestion… He's coming today." Oroyof grumbled as he sat down on one crate.

"Huh? Another mail… "X + ropes = escape way through Fatman's cabin. Think about it, Sai – chan." … "Sai – chan"… That sounds so girlish! That guy's nuts or his humor is totally out of place!" Saito read before grumbling.

Oroyof seemed to have noticed something: he picked two loose wood rectangle pieces and ropes: he then set the pieces to form the shape of the Alphabet letter X and then tied the ropes around it while leaving enough to pull.

"Hum."

He looked out through the porthole and glanced upwards: the light on the porthole above him was off.

"I see. We can stick this on the porthole and then use the rope to climb up into the cabin and escape through there!" Netto realized.

"… You idiots! I'll show you how it's done!" Kurohige's voice rang out in the corridor.

"Crap. Kurohige is coming." Saito muttered.

"Align the champagne bottles towards the door." Oroyof smiled.

Netto and Saito quickly did so while Oroyof threw the improvised X upwards: it entered through Kurohige's open porthole.

"Hah!"

He tugged at it and made it get stuck there: Oroyof quickly climbed up and the pushed the X forward to drop inside of the cabin.

"Climb up!" He called out.

"Roger!"

Netto quickly followed while Saito waited.

"Grrr… Plug In! Dive Man, Transmission!" Kurohige could be heard exclaiming.

"Dive Man: ready for action! De a~ru!" Dive Man exclaimed.

"Crap. He has a "Copy Roid"…" Saito muttered.

"Niisan! Come up!" Netto called out.

"Roger!"

Saito quickly climbed up and landed inside of the cabin: Oroyof then folded the wood pieces and tossed the rope out of the porthole and into the sea, where it hovered above the surface: there was the sound of an explosion and some silence.

"Dive Man must've blown the door open." Saito guessed.

BANG!

A shot rang out.

"Huh? Who shot?" Both of them wondered.

PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!

Kurohige apparently shot three shots inside of the hold.

BANG!

Another shot rang out.

"What! Champagne corks! The explosion has shaken 'em and they're coming out!" Kurohige gasped.

BANG!

One cork flew out.

"Uack! My right eye!" Kurohige yelled.

"De a~ru?"

The three of them rushed out of the cabin while smiling at the clever improvisation.

"The jammer's signal is close by! Take the first right door!" Saito instructed.

They entered a room which some radio equipment set on the center of it along with a large metal column which was integrated with the ceiling.

"I see. The column has the wires and ends in an antenna projecting the field. But this thing is now out of service. Charge Shot!" Saito smiled and drew the Rock Buster.

His attack blew up the machine and it frizzled: it began to emit smoke and terrific sounds but the group was already running off the room by now.

"Let's pick a boat: we'll head towards the coast. It can't have been even two hours since departure. We may be over 100 km from the coast but given how we can now establish contact, we could ask for the Net Police to send a boat to meet us." Oroyof instructed.

"Yeah. I've engaged my PET's GPS beacon, too." Netto admitted.

"Kurohige must be still trying to cool off his itching right eye." Saito joked with a grin.

"Oi! Who goes there?" A sailor asked.

"Sorry! No time." Saito smiled.

He aimed the Rock Buster and shot a shot at a pipe: high pressure cold water came out and sprayed the guy who was trying to plug the pipe somehow: the three of them reached the bow and spotted the lifeboats: Oroyof worked on checking it.

"Full gasoline tank, engine, emergency rations, water canteens, oars… It's well-equipped." He quickly listed.

They jumped onboard and Saito quickly shot the locks to allow it to lower into the water: Oroyof ignited the engine and the boat sped away while the mole of the ship kept on its course.

"_Bye-bye_, Kurohige! You'll find a reception committee in Anchorage!"

"Yeah. Mr. T.'s plan went ashtray." Saito grinned.

"Something tells me that rope and wood pieces weren't left there by pure chance. I suspect he foresaw this." Oroyof muttered.

"… Damn! They're escaping with one of the boats!"

Kurohige was looking out through the hold's porthole and cursing aloud while Dive Man popped his head out as well.

"De a~ru! Should I chase them, Captain?" He asked.

"Wait. I need to talk with Mr. T. before that." Kurohige replied.

"Heh, heh, heh. The episode is heating up." A familiar voice rang out through Kurohige's Link PET.

"Wha! Boss!" He gasped.

"Keep the course and don't deviate. And keep Mr. Dive Man over there if you may. I've got a nice B Plan about to take effect." Mr. T. instructed with a hint of amusement.

"R-roger!"

"De a~ru? This guy must like eating sandwiches." Dive Man commented.

"What silliness is that? Knock it off!" Kurohige growled.

"Roger, de a~ru!"

"… Netto – kun! Finally! Communications have been restored."

"Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai_."

Netto was speaking with Meijin while the boat headed westwards by following the trail left by the _King of the Sea_.

"We're alright: we could escape the ship along with the imprisoned mister, too! We're now in a boat and heading towards the coast. Could you send a boat to pick us up?" Netto told him.

"Sure. I'll tell the coast guard. What's going on, anyway?"

"To begin with: warn the Anchorage port authorities. Second: Kurohige is in charge of the ship. Third: they're smuggling Twilight's "Dark Chips"." He reported.

"What!" Meijin gasped.

"We secured four and we'll bring them for analysis: we must make sure that the "Vaccine Chip" can counter them." Saito added.

"Please let me speak." A familiar voice rang out.

"Sure." Meijin replied.

Laika came onscreen while looking concerned.

"Netto!"

"Laika!"

"Is the rescued "Net Savior"…?" Laika began.

"Correct. It's me, Laika." Oroyof confirmed.

"Captain Oroyof! Are you alright, sir?" Laika asked.

"I am, thanks to these two boys. You should be glad of being their friend, Laika." Oroyof told him.

"Ah… Thank you very much, sir… I owe you guys one, Netto, Saito." Laika smiled.

"We heard the earlier conversation: and we were suspecting it matched Kurohige's." Search Man admitted.

A loud engine sound filled the air all of a sudden and the three of them looked around: they spotted a hydroplane heading towards them from the coast: it was colored yellow.

"Whoa! That was fast! The guard coast hydroplane is already here!" Netto exclaimed.

"What? I'm just talking with them!" Meijin replied.

"Shit." Saito growled.

The hydroplane suddenly dived towards them and Saito tackled Netto into the ground as some bullets rained down around them: Saito took aim and shot a shot as the right side of it flew close to the water: the engine began to act erratically and it finally touched down about ten meters from their position.

"_Nice_, niisan!" Netto grinned.

"Can you swim?" Oroyof asked Saito.

"Eh… I haven't really tried."

"Don't worry! The Area Steal will do fine." Netto smiled.

"Good. Look: the pilots are coming out. One of them is fixing the damage while the other is looking on. Since we're lying on the ground, we can't be seen, so… Catch them by surprise, knock them out and bring them onboard the plane. We'll then head over there." Oroyof hushed.

"Roger. Battle Chip, Area Steal!"

Saito warped while the other two waited.

"Ugh!"

"Oof!"

"Clear!" Saito yelled.

They ignited the engine and headed over to the plane as Saito dragged both pilots into the cockpit: they then picked the boat's supplies and climbed into the cockpit as well.

"Mr. T. must be fond of spectacular scenes." Netto grumbled.

"Well. It could've been worse." Oroyof reminded them.

"Yeah. Thank goodness." Laika sighed in relief.

"We're gonna pilot this thing and head over there." Netto grinned.

"Roger. Land in the port: I've already got permission." Meijin instructed them.

"Thanks, Meijin – san!" Saito replied.

"_San wa iranai_."

The radio suddenly crackled to life.

"BG – 114! Did you capture them?" Kurohige asked.

"The tables have turned, Kurohige." Netto replied with a grin on his face.

"_Captain_!" He growled.

"Yeah. Make me say it." Netto's grin grew wider.

"GRA~H!" Kurohige growled in frustration.

"Captain! Why are you biting your own cap, de a~ru?" Dive Man asked him on the background.

"Sod off!" Kurohige snapped at him.

"De a~ru?"

"Shut the hell up!" Kurohige yelled.

"Let's go to Hell, de a~ru…"

The three of them laughed as Oroyof turned the radio off.

"Good. Let's head over to Densan City." Oroyof instructed.

"I'll keep those two at bay: I tossed their guns into the sea. We should tie them up… Let's use the Yo-yo Battle Chip." Saito suggested.

"Battle Chip, Yo-yo!"

Saito shot the yoyo rope and used it to tie them together by the back: he then cut the ends off and sat down on one of the chairs while having his Rock Buster drawn just in case: Netto sat down behind Oroyof, who was calmly piloting the plane.

"Huh…? Another mail… "The Dynamic Trio flies across the skies in their war chariot while heaving over to the wild lands of Densan. What adventures await them? Look it up on the next episode!" … Okay. This guy is nuts: he believes we're all part of a show." Netto read before grumbling.

"I guess interrogating these two won't wield anything: they look like mercenaries." Saito guessed.

"In any case… Kurohige must be about to shatter all bottles on his cabin out of frustration." Netto grinned.

"And Dive Man will believe the ship is headed to Hell."

"Let's go~! To Densan we go~! Heh, heh, heh! _You lose_, Kurohige~!"


	5. Chapter 4: The triumvirate

**Chapter 4: The **_**triumvirate**_

09:49 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 7th…

"… Heh, heh, heh…"

The place was an underground room somewhere: it had a sofa, one small wooden table, a LCD TV and some doors which opened on the north ends and east ends of it and someone was sitting on the sofa.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

He was a boy around twelve years old and was around a meter and fifty tall more or less.

He had grayish hair along with red –irises eyes which displayed malice on them plus a smug smile on his face.

He wore a cyan top, blue jeans and white / red sneakers.

He was working with a laptop and chuckling.

"Obihiro Shun – sama: I've returned."

A Net Navi appeared on a corner of the PC's screen: he was around a meter and sixty tall.

Black shades hid his eyes while a sturdy ivory helmet protected his head: three levels of reddish curved stripes circled its whole diameter.

His body was mainly colored ivory although his boots and forearms were colored in a forest green color: some random black-colored diamonds were scattered across his forearms and legs.

His emblem was a simple hollow diamond set in the midst of a cross which was colored red: the inside of the diamond was colored ivory.

The Navi's right arm ended into an integrated one-barreled pump shotgun which had some thin greenish stripes running across the length of the barrel and which were glowing with a slowly increasing and fading greenish glow.

His boots were colored light brown and had two round circles set there.

"How is the _D_ Strategy going like, Hunter Man?" Obihiro Shun asked of him.

"They're making progress: they'll soon have the first units to carry out testing. They looked convinced of its effectiveness. But they haven't found out about the secret override frequency yet." Hunter Man reported.

"Heh, heh, heh. And then the other party will come and pick 'em up while getting rid of the factory and schematics. The guys will be left speechless at our intelligence." Obihiro giggled and looked amused.

"Correct, Shun – sama. They'll be powerless to stop us and we'll have triggered a new secret war to see who ends up possessing STS in the end... It is brilliant scheme, sir. As expected of us, sir." Hunter Man sounded eager.

"You mean "Thanathos", Hunter Man." A male voice which seemed to echo inside of a helmet announced.

"Ah. Death. You're back. I guess your excursion went nicely enough, am I right?"

A Navi appeared inside of the laptop's Cyber World and walked over to Hunter Man: he was about a meter and eighty tall and he had a pale blue color to his body.

His helmet had no face and had a turquoise - colored slit shaped like the Alphabet letter "Y" was set on its center while it also had a dome-shaped form above its body.

His shoulders were shaped like two round spheres with a cell-like pattern drawn into them: the armor was thicker around the chest and seemed to have two ellipsoid lines which vaguely resembled eyes set on it while a small round spot with six membrane-like formations on drew a shape similar to a mouth.

The waist had a navy blue colored piece shaped like the Alphabet letter "V" built on it and the legs had two round turquoise spots on each side plus above and below the knee which also resembled eyes: his feet were slightly curved in shape.

The left arm had some lines running down the sides before ending in a very thin and skeleton-like hand with a living round turquoise eye with a black pupil set on top of its palm while, in comparison, the right arm bore what looked like a built-in buster colored both turquoise and navy blue.

Overall, his mere presence seemed to chill the room and foresee something dreadful and terrible.

"Yes. War shall bring corpses. And their souls shall be claimed by my servants, the Thanatos units. The last one to remain alive shall be able to have monopoly of them." The Navi announced.

"Death Shadow. You're right into the mark, as always. This is the subtle plan we've been craving ever since a month ago. And not even the "Net Saviors" will be able to stop it." Obihiro grinned.

"Hah. Let blood stain the land: it shall feed the war gods waiting for it. And they shall then destroy each other as well. In the end… None of them will be left alive and then… War will be controlled by the mortal ones… Which shall die and History shall repeat…" Death Shadow icily muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Death. You should show Hollywood how to make a war film: they suck at it, really. There may be a very few exceptions but the rest isn't worth it at all! Don't you think the same, guys? We need to revamp 'em all and make them be worth it! The Hollywood Revamping Scheme, I'd name it! Ya know?" A fourth voice rang out.

A third Net Navi walked over them while coming out of a dome of transparent bluish light: the dome was generated by some kind of brown lance with a diamond set on top of it and a purple swirling gateway was set behind the lance.

"Heh, heh, heh."

This guy did look around thirteen or fourteen years old and being just over a meter in fifty in height.

His helmet had the _Kanji_ "Yami no Oukoku" or "Dark Realm" drawn into them using blood red color and set vertically on the forehead.

He had three parallel thin vertical blood red lines traveling down his body from the neck and shoulders to the hips.

Some silver-colored hair could be seen coming from behind the helmet and his eyes' irises were red and golden.

His bodysuit design had a jet black color to it while the forearms and boots were colored in a purplish color: some blood red-colored DNA-like patterns were set on them and travelled across their length.

His emblem was a silver-colored bow arrow aiming NE surrounded by a bronze edge and set against a black background.

"Sidier comes to say that he blew up Vader's TIE X1 Advance with proton torpedoes." Obihiro joked.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Emperor S – sama is pleased with your work, Obihiro and company. Make sure to keep it up: this strategy will be very beneficial to us." Sidier told them.

"Sure. We always make sure to please Emperor S – sama with our hard work. Those guys are about to get a surprise."

"Ah. One thing… Cream Land is starting to catch up, so… Why don't you send some Giant Viruses there to keep them busy for a while? We'll show them that we're serious."

"Good. Maybe I shall bring some of their pitiful souls to the _Naraku_… It must be yearning for them to suffer for almost all eternity… We are the materialized "Evil" itself: nothing shall hold us back. We shall strike in a decisive manner and annihilate them." Death laughed.

"Y-yeah… We'll bombard them from orbit using a Star Destroyer. They'll then regret trying to get in our way." Obihiro gulped.

"Heh, heh, heh. That's the mood." Sidier chuckled.

"_Oh yeah! What's up, brother_?" A voice rang out.

They all gasped: the "Eye" was floating behind the three Navis and apparently looking at them.

"You lowlife!" The four of them hissed.

"My. It'd seem the "Synchronizer" dropped by here and charmed you guys into acting in a synchronized manner!" Mr. T. joked.

"Grrr!" They growled.

"Ops. I forgot… Ahem, ahem! Lights! DJ! Music! _Rock & roll_! We're gonna dance 'till dawn creeps into our Prophets' Hall! Bring it on, twerps! I'm gonna sweep the floor with you guys on it! Articulate! Arrest! Bite! Bleed! Crunch! Collapse! Drop! Drum! Explode! Erase! Fight! Force! Greet! Groan! Halt! Hop! Impact! Itinerate! Jump! Joke! Knock! Knit! Lick! Loop! Munch! Mask! Neutralize! Nap! Order! Overload! Peek! Punch! Quit! Question! Race! Rack! Sleep! Slide! Throw! Tempt! Use! Unmask! Vacuum! Voice! Warp! Wash! Yell! Yarn! Zoom! Zone!" Mr. T began to list.

Everyone seemed to have been perplexed: the guy could come up with two verbs per every Alphabet letter.

"… Well?" He asked.

"… If that was supposed to impress us, then it failed." Death icily replied in a menacing tone of voice.

"Ops. The air is cooling off… Why don't you buy some coke coal to heat up the air? Make sure to check it's of quality." Mr. T. teased them.

"You wouldn't amuse even a five year old gnat, you lowlife! Get outta here!" Sidier growled.

"Yeah. Go impress Uncle Sam." Obihiro shot back.

"Gladly… But I'd rather say that the hunter shall become the hunted before you know it." Mr. T. replied.

"You lowlife… Come out and fight me!" Hunter Man challenged.

"Maybe you want to find a girlfriend? They say all cool guys must have one: did you know it?" Mr. T. teased him.

"Who needs a woman to get in the way? Get outta here before we destroy you." Hunter Man growled.

"Then you stole off Magnets' anti-hologram sword and plan to use it against me?" Mr. T. joked.

"There's no such thing." Sidier hissed.

"There is: in your feet."

Everyone automatically looked at their feet: there was a red sticker on their soils.

"What?" The three of them grumbled.

"Did you step into my tracers, then? That would explain how I found so many signals here!" Mr. T. chuckled.

"Be gone." Death hissed.

He charged up his arm cannon and shot a spiraling steam of blue and white energy towards the "Eye": but it suddenly lost the "cover" and revealed a VPN tunnel: a golden beam came out of its depth and overcame Death's attack before hitting him and propelling him into the ground from the force of the attack.

"Did you like my Cosmo Beam?" Mr. T. teased.

"Now!"

Both Hunter Man and Sidier ran towards the tunnel, but the "cover" was formed again and they both ran past it before tripping with a loose tile and meeting the ground.

"_Voilà_." He announced.

"Shit." Both of them growled.

"This one is trying to laugh at the Reborn Grim Reaper…!" Death growled with obvious hatred.

"Who knows? Maybe the one who wants to laugh at it is Killer Man EXE and Dark Kirisaki? They call him "Grim Reaper", too."

"A mortal cannot ever hope to rival the Grim Reaper… Because _I_ am the Grim Reaper!" Death growled.

"So it'd seem, Death – chan."

"You lowlife!" Death cursed.

"Damn. When the guy wants to attack, it stops being a hologram to become a program… When the guy wants to fool us, it turns into a hologram again…" Hunter Man growled.

"My nose hurts…" Sidier grumbled.

"Oh! I see. Then go see Nose Man: he'll give you a reindeer's nose and you'll be Sidier the Reindeer." Mr. T. mocked.

"I'm about to explode." Sidier icily hissed.

"Then call Bomber Man and have him set the fuse on you on." Mr. T. suggested.

"Go to Hell." Obihiro growled.

"Oho. It'd seem you're about to cause a slaughter… I better go off and plot my next episode before the TV station tries to cancel off my show to put a bribed guy's one instead. _Bye – bye_!"

The "Eye" faded and disappeared without a trace: the four of them growled or cursed under their breaths.

"What a jerk!" Hunter Man growled.

"But that attack was real and its power was no joke even for me… I still feel the pain of it." Death grumbled.

"And he's gonna make it easy for the "Net Saviors" to get in the way of our strategy, too…! Damn." Obihiro growled as he banged the table with his right fist.

"Yeah. Things suddenly got worse 'cause we got over-confident. Yamikawa – sama was right AGAIN: we got cocky and this is the price we gotta pay for doing that." Sidier hissed.

"Damn you! Mortal fool! I shall slaughter you in a slow and painful manner before tossing you into the _Naraku_! The Grim Reaper has spoken!"

11:04 AM (Japan Time)…

"… It's just like we thought, Miyabi."

"Laika – sama: we have found out what the Dark Land factory is working on amongst so much hush-hush."

Shadow Man and Search Man returned to their Link PETs to present a report: Miyabi and Laika were standing inside of an abandoned warehouse and in front of a console.

"I see. So the _triumvirate_ wants Dark Land to produce Thanatos robots and get a fortune out of it." Miyabi guessed.

"But something doesn't fit… Why would Yamikawa approach a dictatorial country? He hates tyranny and I don't believe him to have been faking his hatred." Laika argued.

"Hmmm… Maybe he wants them to produce the robots and then take over them to give them to a PMC or something like that… They're pawns on a chess board."

"That would make sense. I'm sure that the guy must be aiming to keep our hands busy in multiple fronts."

"We could try sabotaging the factory's main functions, Miyabi." Shadow Man suggested.

"Yet… We could be in legal trouble. We'd be invading Dark Land. And that would bring us a mess." Search Man warned.

"Hmmm… But since I am, technically speaking, a mercenary, then that wouldn't involve me… Forte and Freeze Man are solo Navis, so… They aren't "Net Saviors". And Yuriko is still registered as a member of "Nebula", too… The four of us should be enough: we could make it look like Choina's secret services hired us: it'd be easily believable given their new Cyber War policy which has begun on the last few years." Miyabi exposed a course of action.

"That'd be a good course of action. I agree with it. Let's present it to Commissioner Kifune and work on the details." Laika looked amused.

"Miyabi… The neophyte's calling."

"Ooyama Dekao?"

"MIYABI~! GIMME A "SYNCHRO CHIP" NOW!" Dekao's face showed up onscreen.

"Why should I?"

"'CAUSE I'LL…!"

"Shaddup." Meiru snapped in the background.

"Wha!"

"I don't need you to protect me: I can defend myself." She told him with obvious annoyance.

"But what happened in the autumn…"

"That was the exception." She fumed.

"Dekao… Stop insisting: it's in vain. You – can't – do – "Cross Fusion" – and – that's – all." Netto sighed.

"Damn it! Why didn't that Duo jerk…?"

"Cha weren't outstanding enough." Ayanokouji Yaito snapped next.

"Damn it!"

"Accept reality, Dekao – kun." Hikawa Tooru called out.

"Go protect your little brother instead." Meiru challenged.

"There's no merit on that!"

"Then I'll talk with your parents: I can't believe you're abandoning poor Chisao – kun like that. I won't tolerate that."

"Wha! I'm cursed, damn it. Dingo was right…"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Ah, stray souls which they are…"

"I'm - CURSED! Cursed! Cursed! Cu~rsed!"

11:23 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hello. Mr. Universe came to say hi."

"Ah! Mr. T. Sir."

The mysterious agent was talking with Mr. T. over the cell phone as he pushed a cart filled with groceries across a convenience store's corridor.

The agent looked about a meter and fifty tall.

His hair was brown and somewhat messy as well and he didn't seem to be even fourteen years old yet.

He wore a black raincoat, a reddish wool sweater with black patterns on it, jeans, black boots and sported sunglasses along with a red cap.

"Sorry. Are you busy?" Mr. T. asked.

"Eh… Mistress sent me to buy some groceries." He admitted.

"Ah. Mistress… I should've seen it coming. Is Mistress trying to break you up?" Mr. T. questioned.

"No. Mistress is holding back. Mistress knows that Mr. T. is the only one who would allow for Her Grace to have a "sanctuary", so… I personally don't mind, sir… I seem to have that kind of nature: I never hold high ambitions and have no problem following orders, sir…" The agent calmly replied.

"… Ah… But do tell Mistress that this is just between the two of you: she can't go and do it to _everyone_. It's just a private hobby. Get it?" Mr. T. whispered.

"Eh… Yes, sir… I will tell Mistress, sir…" The teenager confirmed.

"Good. It just reminded me of someone who began like that and then ended up doing it to countless persons over several years. I don't want it to happen again… Eh… Keep as you are. Goodbye."

_As Mr. T. says… However… Netto – kun! The day is coming closer! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh! It'll be… COOL! VERY COOL!_


	6. Chapter 5: Threat of the Dark Chips

**Chapter 5: Threat of the Dark Chips**

16:16 PM (Japan Time), Thursday February the 9th…

"… _No_! Hinoken! _You_ did it! I _know_ it!"

"Sod off, Elec!"

"Those two…"

"They are impossible."

"Heh, heh, heh."

Hinoken and Count Elec were discussing something on that day's afternoon: Maha Jarama and Iroaya Madoi looked on while Dr. Wily chuckled.

"I know _you_ hid the _spare key_ of the _van_ so that _you_ can take it out and get the _glory_ for _you_! _Hand it over_!" Count Elec told him.

"Sod off! You'd crash the van a thousand times over, Elec!" Hinoken shot back at him.

"… What's the point of that, anyway?" Elec Man asked Fire Man.

"Hinoken – sama tends to have this stubborn attitude…" Fire Man muttered.

"A~h… It's a mess!" Colored Man sighed.

"This happens every two months, more or less…" Magic Man grimly muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. What a fight." Wily chuckled.

"Dr. Wily – sama! This is not a "fight": it's an argument!" Madoi protested with some annoyance.

"Correct." Maha confirmed.

"Heh, heh, heh… Burning youth… Let them do." Wily chuckled.

"Oh man!"

17:26 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Gruo~h!"

"Vaccine Chip: Fire!"

"Gua~h!"

A standard Navi fell into his knees while looking tired: Rock Man lowered his Rock Buster and looked worried.

"Huh… What the hell…?" The Navi wondered.

"Operator – san! You used a strange Battle Chip, is that not right?" Rock Man asked a high school student.

"Yeah. A middle school – aged guy gave it to me sayin' it was the tool to swipe the floor with the rivals on it… But after trying it for four battles, my Navi went out of control and began to go berserk." The Operator admitted while looking worried.

"Well! We've restored him to normal. And, for safety reasons, your Link PET will reject any attempts to use that Battle Chip again. Please make sure to hand it over to the Net Police." Rock Man instructed.

"Yeah… I'll do that. Thanks a lot."

"It's nothing: I'm just doing my duty."

Rock Man logged out and returned into the Link PET while Netto (sporting a middle school uniform) looked on from the "Game Soul" Game Center main room entrance: he sighed and took some steps back.

"This is the fourth case in just an hour's time ever since we ended classes. It's getting out of control… And this is starting to look like a _déjà vu_ of the "Nebula" crisis… Luckily enough… The new-gen "Vaccine Chips" heal the Navi on the spot…" He muttered.

"And everyone claims it was a "middle – school aged guy" but the only common trait we can find is that he's supposed to wear a black raincoat and sunglasses… But not even Yuriko can get a hold of the guy's whereabouts or his pattern."

"Yeah…" Netto sighed.

"He seems to do everything out of randomness and without a plan to begin with…" Saito continued.

"Let's hope someone can get a hold on the guy before he causes a catastrophe."

"Yeah. I hope the same thing, too…"

Netto's Link PET rang and Enzan's face showed up.

"Yo. Enzan. How many?" Netto greeted.

"Two." Enzan replied.

"Four."

"Huh. Then I should be glad I've only had two." Enzan looked surprised and glad at the same time.

"Were they intense?" Blues asked Saito.

"Well… The usual, I'd say…" Saito shrugged.

"Hmmm… By the way: it'd seem the individual has been spotted in a convenience store more than once: he seems to buy groceries enough for two persons. He always pays in cash. He seems to be the strictly punctual type: he's looking at a wrist watch from time to time." Blues brought up while sounding curious.

"That mean he either buys for his boss or an accomplice… Or maybe he even has a brother and sister… He must've been picked up by Mr. T. for some reason or another and he does that to be able to sustain him and someone else…" Netto thought aloud.

"We're starting to post notices to warn people about not accepting "Dark Chips": but there'll always be the types who won't pay attention to them and use them because they think they're "cool": I found one a while ago and it was hard enough to convince him to surrender the "Dark Chip". He tried using it again, even, but the "Vaccine Chip" effects stopped him from doing so… Man."

"Jeez. What stubborn guys." Netto grumbled.

"And when I told him that "Dark Chip" usage or possession was illegal and could be punished with a fine, he got pale and gave it up… I spent like 30 minutes when I'd normally only take 5 or 10… People can be stubborn when they want to, it'd seem…" Enzan explained while sighing and closing his eyes.

"Whoa." Netto whistled in surprise.

"Do we have any further information on that guy's habits?" Saito asked Blues.

"Well… That same convenience store clerk was ordering products on the left side of a shelf when he heard the guy on the other side of it speaking through the cell phone. The caller was Mr. T, obviously enough, but they kept on talking about a "Mistress": the tone seemed to indicate that the Mistress had authority over him… And I suspect _you-know-what_." Blues hushed to Saito.

"Crap." Saito grimly muttered.

"But Mr. T. seemed to fear that the "Mistress" might go out of bounds, so… He seems to want to insist that it's just between the two of them. It'd seem that the guy has a kind of masochist behavior in which he doesn't seem to care about himself: he seems to be glad with being given orders and told what to do."

"Then it's another reason to consider him to be dangerous: he might even get to kill someone and not mind it at all: it was just an order." Netto growled.

"Sadly… That's how soldiers are trained like." Enzan sighed.

"This can get ugly, too… A guy ready to do anything… A sadistic "Mistress"… And Mr. T! And even if we wrapped that trio up then we'd then have to work over what to do with the _triumvirate_!" Netto growled while sounding pissed off.

"Netto – kun. Cool off." Saito rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm off to reporting to Meijin – san. Good luck, Enzan."

"Good. Let's go back to work, Blues." Enzan commanded.

"Roger, Enzan – sama. See you around, Saito."

"Later, _Buruusu_."

"… Good afternoon, Shuuichi – kun!"

"Oh. Tooru – kun. Welcome."

Hikawa Tooru had come to Eboshi Shuuichi's house to visit him: they both shook hands.

"Sorry for the delay, Shuuichi - kun: I needed to pick a book I forgot in the classroom…" Hikawa apologized.

"I don't mind. Let's go to my room." Eboshi replied.

Both entered Shuuichi's room and locked the door from the inside: they then nodded to each other and took out the upper part of their middle school uniforms to expose their chests and upper torsos.

"Really… You look better without that stuff on you, Tooru – kun!"

"Ah… Thanks, Shuuichi – kun…"

"Why are you blushing? Aren't we boys?" Eboshi teased.

"S-sorry… I always was the nervous type…" He apologized.

"Heh, heh, heh… Let's keep on."

"Y-yeah… I'm being slow."

They both took out their socks and trousers to remain in their boxers: they looked at each other again and Eboshi walked over to Hikawa while having a grin on his face.

"I'll have a sneak peek, Tooru – kun."

"Yeah… Go ahead…"

"Heh, heh."

Eboshi crouched and softly pulled Hikawa's boxers down to reveal his slightly aroused cock: he grinned and helped Hikawa toss them off before he used his fingers to tease his balls.

"You like being teased like this, Tooru – kun? You're very sensible, it'd seem!" He teased.

He stood up and Hikawa slowly walked over to him: he crouched to grab his boxers.

"I'm going to… lower them… Shuuichi – kun…" He slowly called out.

Eboshi merely nodded with his head and Hikawa lowered them: his cock was slightly smaller but was slightly aroused as well: Hikawa then stood up and scratched the back of his head.

"Heh, heh. Let's get into the bed, Tooru – kun."

"Yeah… Thanks."

Both climbed into the bed: Eboshi got into position over Hikawa and smiled at him while Hikawa blushed.

"I'm going to start playing with the fingers: is that O.K. for you, Tooru – kun?" Eboshi told him.

"Yeah. Please go ahead."

Eboshi pushed one finger into Hikawa's insides and began to massage the inner muscles: Hikawa looked like he was getting turned on so Eboshi smiled and quickly put a second one inside: Hikawa gasped and tried not to make any loud sounds: Eboshi put the last one inside and Hikawa started to mutter things.

"I'm going for the real stuff, Tooru – kun. You'd better be ready." He warned.

He took out the fingers and rubbed his cock: he then leant over to Hikawa and slowly began to slid it inside: Hikawa opened his eyes wide and gasped as he felt it reach all the way inside of him.

"O~h!" He gasped.

"Heh, heh. Tooru – kun loves this feeling… I'm going to make it feel even better."

"Please…! Shuuichi – kun…! Move it…!" Hikawa pleaded.

"Sure. Get ready."

"O~h!"

Eboshi began to pull out and push in at a constant pace while Hikawa looked ecstatic: Eboshi began to tease his cock with his fingers and Hikawa's body began to arch from the combined feelings.

"Shuuichi – kun…!" He moaned.

"Huh… It feels so good…!" Eboshi moaned as well.

He began to rub Hikawa's cock at a quicker pace and both moaned until Hikawa clenched his teeth.

"I'm coming!" He cried.

He released several spurts which stained his upper torso and face: his inner muscles closed around Eboshi's cock and gripped it: he released as well and overfilled Hikawa's insides: he dropped his head down on Hikawa's stomach area from the tiredness.

"Ah… It feels hot and soft… Shuuichi – kun…"

"Yeah… Tooru – kun's body feels good…"

Hikawa licked off the liquid around his face and used the fingers to wipe it from his chest before licking them: Eboshi pulled out and crawled up towards Hikawa's face: they began a passionate kiss while Hikawa used his right hand to pick his cock and stuff it into Eboshi's insides: he then sat up and picked Eboshi by his waist to move him up and down along his length while kissing.

"Huh… Hmmm…"

"Shuuchi – kun… Does it… feel good?" Hikawa whispered.

"F-feels… good…" Eboshi whispered back.

They kept at it while Hikawa closed Ebohi's right hand around his cock and had him rub it: Hikawa lifted Eboshi up and then slowly lowered him at a calm pace: he began to slowly increase it and Eboshi's moans grew louder as his cock got hard and aimed for Hikawa's face.

"Tooru – kun…! I'm… It feels good…! Please… Faster! Go faster! I want to feel even better!" He pleaded.

Hikawa increased the pace and Ebsohi suddenly cried as he released and stained Hikawa's upper torso and face: Hikawa lowered Eboshi and felt the inner muscles closing around his cock: he released and overfilled him as well.

"Huh…!"

Eboshi then licked off the white spots on Hikawa's body and began another kiss with him: Hikawa slowly lied back on the bed and they rolled over so that Hikawa was above Eboshi: they then broke apart and panted for air while they spotted the white string linking them together.

"Tooru – kun… Six – nine…?" Eboshi suggested.

"Yeah… But first…"

He slid some centimeters down and began to lick and suck Eboshi's nipples until they got hard: Eboshi did the same and they then rubbed their nipples together for a minute.

"Okay… Now…" He instructed.

"Roger."

Eboshi stood on his fours and slowly turned around: he lowered his body and picked Hikawa's cock while Hikawa picked his: they began to lick each other and suck for a while before they released and filled each other's mouths: they returned to their earlier position.

"Okay… The tag-team…" Eboshi whispered.

"Ah… It'll feel good…" Hikawa looked eager.

"Sure."

They hugged each other while making sure that their nipples and cocks made contact before starting a kiss: they rubbed their nipples and cocks together for a while before they both released and stained each other's body.

"Wow… Intense…" Hikawa gasped.

"Heh, heh… Let's finish this." Eboshi rallied.

They licked each other's body clean and then began yet another passionate kiss: they broke apart and watched the white string linking them together.

"Ah… I needed it! I need this to shake off all nervousness and build-up which I'd been holding back…" Hikawa sounded relieved.

"Yeah… But as long as we put all effort on it, then we'll be able to get very good results." Eboshi smiled at him.

"Eh… Have you improved with your skills?"

"Yup! Dad says I'm making good progress. By the way… Tooru – kun. Do you know anything about this "Dark Chip" outbreak I keep on hearing about? I've seen notices warning people not to accept Battle Chips from strangers even if they look like normal Battle Chips…"

"Huh… "Dark Chips"… They're terrifying Chips: they slowly corrupt the Navi and make him or her become berserk and they stop listening to their Operator: it trades the heart for power." Hikawa whispered.

"Huh! How terrible…!" Eboshi gasped.

"Luckily enough, we now have a "Vaccine Chip" which can nullify the effects and restore them to normal… As an additional safeguard, the Link PET becomes unable to accept any more "Dark Chips" and, if they try to, the PET's location is broadcasted to the Net Police HQ."

"And they can be camouflaged as normal Battle Chips, too?"

"Yeah. That's why you'd be better off not accepting Chips from someone you don't know even if he looks about your age and friendly."

"Is that so?"

"I heard the culprit is about our age but can be told apart because he doesn't sport a middle school student's clothes during school days."

"Gotcha. Let's change back: dad will come back soon enough."

"Huh! Yeah. Gotta hurry…"

"See you tomorrow at school, Tooru – kun."

"Good – bye, Shuuichi – kun."

"… Eight! Eight cases in one afternoon! I'm beaten!"

"Can't blame you… I feel about to collapse, too."

Netto had jumped into his bed and was lying face-down on it while looking blown out: Saito was sitting on the chair and yawning as well.

"And Enzan got four… Why does he always seem to get higher or lesser numbers than I do? Dingo's curse is attacking me: I know it."

"There's no curse to begin with, otouto…"

"Whatever. I'll have dinner and try to cool off with tomorrow's classes!"

"And no – one has managed to get a hold of that guy's name… There could be several persons matching that description… We're stuck."

"That Mr. T. guy is on the "gonna make them sweat" league, too…"

Saito merely stood up and walked over to the balcony window: he looked out at the streets and gasped: the teen was standing in the corner of the street leading and looking at them: he made a smug smile and ran away at a quick pace.

"… "Gotcha"… A challenge…" Saito muttered.

"What?" Netto asked as he looked up.

"The guy… They were there. What do they want?"

"Dunno. But I've got a bad vibe…"


	7. Chapter 6: Prelude to a crisis

**Chapter 6: Prelude to a crisis**

15:25 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… Let's see… Water: check. _Curry_ rice: check. Sausages: check. _Udon_ instant noodles: check. Cookies: check. Pork meat: check. Orange juice: check. Apples: check. Bananas: check. Eh… Oh! I'd almost forgotten: bathroom deodorant."

The mysterious teen was standing in the convenience store's corridor with the shopping cart and having a hand-written list on his right hand while holding a pencil on his left hand.

"And… Hum…"

Most of the list's items had a check mark next to them.

"Excuse me." Someone called out.

The teen turned around to see Yuriko standing close by.

"What may I help you with, ma'am?" He asked.

"Could I talk with you?" She asked.

"There _is_ much to talk. And I have listened through rock, metal and _time_. Now _I_ shall talk and _you_ will _listen_." The teen suddenly replied in a deep and scary voice.

"Eh? Excuse me?"

"… Ah! Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. What did you want to know, ma'am?" The teen apologized.

"What's your name?" She questioned.

"Max. Max Johnson." The teen replied.

"Are you a foreigner, perhaps?" She guessed.

"My father is." He quickly replied.

"Well. Do you, by any chance, know a person named Mr. T. or, rather, Sigaano Nogaano?" Yuriko asked next.

"No. Should I?" He sounded surprised.

"Who's your Mistress?" Yuriko questioned next.

"Eh… My Mistress…? Huh… My mother died five years ago… And I have no sisters…" Max frowned.

"Hmmm… Do you have a Link PET?" She asked.

"No." Max quickly replied.

"Ah? What's your middle school's name?" Yuriko sounded suspicious.

"I don't go to middle school: I have a tutor. I have been diagnosed with lack of attention syndrome."

"Well… That sounds believable…" She didn't stop sounding suspicious.

"Maybe you're mistaking me with a look alike?"

"That could be, but…" She trailed off.

"Shah, shah, shah! Yuriko: I'd stake my money that he's the guy." Needle Man told her.

"What am I being accused of?"

"Illegal Battle Chip possession and distribution would be the main charges if you are who I think you are." Yuriko listed.

"Please have a look if you want to settle it: I don't have anything like Battle Chips on my pockets!" He invited.

"If you wish, then…" Yuriko shrugged.

She discreetly searched his pockets and found nothing save for his wallet with his ID card, some bills and coins, and nothing else which stood out: she then returned it to him.

"True. I mistook you for a look alike which also comes to shop here… Sorry for the bother." She admitted.

"I am glad I was able to solve this little confusion. If you will excuse me… I need to finish buying the groceries." Max sounded relieved.

15:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… No. The serial number of the ID card doesn't match. I tried the date of birth: no match. The address exists but the house has been empty and for sale ever since three years ago. The names of the parents don't give a match, either. The phone number belongs to a _ramen_ restaurant. In short: a total fabrication."

"Damn."

Yuriko was speaking with Detective Misaki in the Net Police HQ waiting room: Misaki had a clipboard with some papers attached to it which he'd been reading aloud and Yuriko looked annoyed.

"If I had to guess… He was warned by Mr. T. that he could be intercepted there, so that's why he didn't carry any compromising objects into him or else hid them amongst the groceries. And I doubt him going over to that store again: he'll quickly find another one. Should we try posting a "WANTED" warrant?" Misaki exposed.

"Yet… We can't be sure yet if he's being obliged to or he's doing it out of his own will. The sentence would vary depending on either case… Let's give it some time: he may make a slip." Yuriko replied.

"Fine." Misaki shrugged.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! By the way… Yuriko. That weird motto the guy came up with… It belongs to a game named _Halo 2_ developed by Microsoft and Bungie Studios and which came out three years ago… The character who speaks like that is named "Gravemind"…" Needle Man explained.

"I see. An Ameorupe – developed game… That's a curious exception to the general rule. But that hardly serves as a hint." Yuriko muttered.

"But we can be sure he's not going to sit idle: he's going to act again and soon." Prism Man warned.

"Then I've got no further reasons to stay here. See you around, Detective Misaki… The sooner I act the better…"

16:39 PM (Japan Time)…

_I am a timeless chorus. Join your voice with mine and sing victory everlasting…_

Max was humming a tune as he peeked into the main room of the "Game Soul" Game Center: Dekao was playing the Virus Challenge Game and was struggling to get past the Garuu Viruses.

"Mega Guts Punch!"

The attack deleted one but the second one bathed Guts Man in fire and he had to step back.

"Shit! I wanna beat Meiru – chan's record and prove I'm a man worth her time!" Dekao growled.

"Oi."

Max walked over to him and placed his right hand over his right shoulder while taking out a Mega Cannon Battle Chip.

"Whaddya want?" Dekao annoyingly asked.

"Do not be afraid. I am peace. I am salvation." He grinned and talked with his deep and scary voice.

"What the hell?"

"This tool will grant you the power to defeat your foe." He announced as he showed him the Mega Cannon.

"That's for free?"

"Yeah. Enjoy." Max grinned.

Dekao picked it and quickly looked at it as he grinned: Max used the chance to head back and hide beneath a vending machine.

"Battle Chip, Mega Cannon! Slot In!" Dekao announced.

"Gattsu~! Mega Cannon!"

The Mega Cannon deleted the Garuus.

"Yeah! Take that!" Dekao lifted the right fist.

He kept on battling and using the same Chip from time to time: Guts Man made it to Level 10 and the Dream Virus showed up.

"Hah! No Dream Virus is gonna rob me of my glory! I'll be #1! Meiru – chan is good but men are always above girls!" He boasted.

Max didn't look amused at his last comment.

"If Mistress heard you then you'd be running for your life, Ooyama." He grimly muttered.

"Guts… Gattsu… GATTSU~!"

The "Dark Aura" suddenly appeared and Guts Man's eyes became red: he growled and swung his fists around in a menacing manner before punching the ground and making the machine frizzled.

"Wha! Guts Man! What are ya doing? Attack the Dream Virus!" Dekao commanded.

"Guts Hammer!"

He hit the ground again and the machine began to smoke: the frizzling intensified and it looked about to explode.

"Oi! Guts Man! Stop!" Dekao yelled.

"Gruo~h!"

He jumped towards the Dream Virus but it merely knocked him asides with the right hand: Guts Man growled something hit the Dream Virus' forehead next: it was unaffected and pushed him into the ground yet again: Guts Man seemed to have gotten angry.

"GATTSU~! GUTS HAMMER!"

He hit the Cyber World's floor and it began to crack: the machine frizzled further and some streaks of electricity jumped out around the area while causing a chaos.

"Plug Out!"

The Link PET buzzed and the red letters "ERROR" showed up onscreen instead.

"What!" He gasped.

"Needle Man!" Someone announced.

An infrared laser hit the Plug – In port and Needle Man entered the Cyber World while having taken out his Needle Cannon.

"Vaccine Chip, Slot In!" Yuriko commanded as she ran in.

"Shah, shah, shah! Vaccine Chip: Ready!"

"Fire!"

"Vaccine Chip: Fire!"

The blast hit Guts Man's chest emblem and the familiar blue soothing light traveled across his body.

"GATTSU~!"

"Shah, shah, shah! Oi! Plug Out!" Needle Man told Dekao.

"Guts Man: Plug Out!"

"Run!" Yuriko commanded.

Both of them ran away as the machine finally blew up from the damage and berserk electricity: some fragments scattered around the area and fire formed on the remaining structure.

"Crap." Yuriko hissed.

She grabbed a fire extinguisher and showered the structure with it until the fire died down: she heard the firefighters' sirens coming closer and a truck parked on the street: four of them came out and applied more foam to the broken machine.

"Ooyama. Can't you read?" Yuriko questioned with obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Eh? What?" Dekao asked.

Yuriko signaled a notice set on the wall across the machine.

"Attention to all customers:

By a request of the Net Police, it's highly advised that you don't accept Battle Chips from any unknown persons: they might inflict great harm to your own Net Navi.

Please exert caution.

The Game Soul staff."

"So?"

"Eh…" Dekao trailed off.

"Look what happened! It's your fault, Ooyama. You could've avoided it but you ignored the notice and didn't think!" Yuriko scolded.

"But I wanted to win!"

"Life isn't just winning or losing: it's learning from your mistakes and moving on forward! That was just a game! Listen: you caused this and you must know the consequences of your actions!" Yuriko scolded next.

"I'm cursed." Dekao growled next.

"Don't come up with excuses! The notice was perfectly readable: and there another five or six! There was another on the door, next to the 1st floor stairs, and attached to each machine! Was it so hard to stop and read it?"

"They must've been put later! There weren't any when I came!"

"They were: I've been coming here _each day_! They've been here for a week already! Don't you have eyes? Use them!" Yuriko told him.

"I'm off." Dekao grumbled.

He tried to walk off but Yuriko grabbed the collar of his shirt from behind and held him back.

"We're going to speak with your parents."

"No!" Dekao gasped.

"Yeah. We will: you're a minor and your parents legally respond for your actions: I won't be surprised if you're banned from Net Battles for a while: you need to realize the damage you've caused." Yuriko told him.

She carried him out of the Game Center while Max slid out and mixed with the crowd which had formed around the spot.

_That happens to you, Ooyama, because you're stubborn. And I actually wasn't aiming to blow the game up: I thought the guy would beat himself up by tackling the Dream Virus in a stupid manner…_

Something vibrated and he quickly ran into the bathroom: he picked an empty stall and closed it before taking out his cell phone.

_Crap! Mistress! I'm late because of this commotion! And she'll get another of her "punishment" moods: even I have limits to how much pain or stress I can handle! I'll try to speak with Boss: he's the only one who can keep her under check!_

He answered the call and a low grumble of clear irritation rang out through the line.

"Max." An icy girl's voice rang out.

"I am sorry, Mistress! Something happened!" He apologized.

"Yeah. I'm seeing by the TV. You must proud of it." The girl icily replied while sounding annoyed.

"I thought Guts Man would be beaten up all over again by the Dream Virus: I wasn't expecting such a reaction!" He whispered.

"Hmpf."

"I would not want to be rude, but… Mr. T. clearly set some limits…" Max brought up.

"I know that: I won't loophole them at all. But you need some punishment, Max. Get here ASAP before I make it worse for you… I'm not in the mood today." The girl told him.

"Y-yeah… I'll be there ASAP, so… Please think it over. Maybe some cold water would help? Or some _ramen_? Or… Some _curry_?" Max nervously suggested.

"Maybe." She grumbled.

"Oh! Wait. Why don't I bring over the guests we spoke of over and we have fun?"

"… Ah. If you're gonna bring them, then… That'll be fine enough. Just make sure to be here in less than 2 hours' time: it's already 16:47 PM and we don't want this to last forever. Boss would prefer to have the deal be wrapped up before the evening, anyway." The girl seemed to have cooled down a bit.

"R-roger."

"Hmpf… I'll be waiting…" She announced in a menacing tone of voice.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He quickly replied.

"That sounds better: remember, Max… You _are_ my _servant_. I'll make an exception for today, but… Don't try to run away from your fate or you'll regret it dearly." The girl told him.

"Y-yeah… I'll be there in less than 1 hour's time so please bear with me, will you?"

The line went dead and Max pocketed the cell phone into his coat's inner pocket: he then came out and slid out by mixing with the crowd.

_Heh, heh, heh. I need bait but I know what to use. This afternoon will be a glorious afternoon…!_

He quickly snuck into the street and brought up a holographic 3D map of the district: he took out the touch-pen and drew a red circle around a building while grinning.

_This spot will do fine. Heh, heh, heh. Oh yeah… And as long as they end up in one piece and mentally sane then Boss can't complain. He's very permissive in this aspect…_

16:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I've got news."

"What?"

"Ooyama."

"Ooyama is news?"

A tall diamond about five meters tall which rotated clockwise upon its axis suddenly formed in the "sky" of Forte's refuge Cyber World and it slowly floated down until it was five centimeters from the ground: it opened by expelling some condensed vapor and the upper half was pushed up by some hydraulic pistons: Freeze Man gracefully jumped down from it and landed in front of Forte who'd been looking at some video or another: he paused it and looked surprised.

"He tried beating the Virus Challenge game which Allegro used to pick his Navis…"

"Yeah. The spoiled kid… The defective experiment…" Forte grumbled.

"… He ignored all warning notices and accepted a "Dark Chip" from that Max Johnson man… Guts Man went berserk and ended up blowing the machine up. Yuriko showed up and restored Guts Man before she dragged him out to speak with the parents."

"Ooyama… Always getting into trouble… He's gotta be a jinx." Forte rolled his eyes.

"That's the news."

"And no idea of where the guy went off to?"

"No. Yuriko had almost intercepted him on the grocery store but got dumped by some convincing acting and that he didn't carry anything odd on him. But the ID was a fabrication. Apparently he likes quoting a game named _Halo: 2_."

"How curious. I'd been checking it out right now. Can you tell me who said that quote? I could check it up."

"Someone named "Gravemind"…"

"The "Gravemind" freak! Yeah. The thing's creepy, alright. He must be fond of its odd speeches." Forte was surprised.

"Enlighten me."

"Well… Hum… Ah. Here. "Me? I am a monument to all your sins."… And that's its way of saying "hi"…"

"Monument to all your sins… A gigantic parasite which is a compound mind knows what irony means or thinks he's displaying the result of their collective sins?" Freeze Man asked.

"This is not your grave but you are welcome on it."

"How can you tell someone he's welcome into another guy's grave to begin with?" Freeze Man didn't get the point.

"Dunno."

"This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded. This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded."

"Well. That means that the protagonist, Master Chief, knows what the "Halo" facilities are about while the Elite "Arbiter" is deluded about the meaning and purpose of the facility. That's not that weird."

"Hum. True."

"… Hrum. There _is_ much talk, and I have listened, through rock, metal _and_ time. Now _I_ shall talk, and _you_ shall listen."

"… "And time"…? It's been around by a long time so it's seen the evolution which has happened, they mean to say?" Freeze Man wondered.

"Yeah. That's what they mean, I guess."

"Nothing good can come out of a guy which tries to look up to this compound mind freak!" Freeze Man grimly muttered.

"Sure as Hell that not. But if we don't catch them soon then victims will keep on rising…! We gotta make a move or else…!"


	8. Chapter 7: Welcome to the club

**Chapter 7: Welcome to the club**

17:02 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… The "Net Saviors"! Nobody move!"

Netto ran into a basement somewhere which was filled with open and empty wooden crates: the only lighting came from loose bulbs set on various spots.

The room looked abandoned and like no – one had visited the place for years.

"What? The email from Forte was wrong?" Netto wondered.

"Weird! This is the address." Saito frowned.

"Heh, heh, heh. Were it so easy…" An amused voice rang out.

"Who…?" Netto demanded.

"Good afternoon, guest – sama." The voice greeted.

Max came out of hiding behind a crate while having a broad smile on his face.

"You're that "Max" guy Yuriko told me about!" Netto pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Yeah. My surname is faked but I'm really named Max." He shrugged and smiled.

"Show your face." Saito challenged.

"Sure!"

Max took out his red cap and arranged his slightly messy brown hair before he pocketed the sunglasses to reveal that his eyes' irises were colored blue.

Something about his face rang a bell somewhere and his hairstyle seemed slightly reminiscent of Netto's.

"You look somewhat familiar…" Netto frowned.

"Yeah. I get that same vibe."

"_Doppelganger_." Max announced.

"What!" Both gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"His face…! It looks similar to mine!" Saito gasped.

"And the hairstyle seems to be an imitation of mine!" Netto gasped.

"Yeah. I decided to go for a cocktail." Max grinned.

"What are you plotting with Mr. T.?" Netto demanded.

"I dunno what Boss does: I'm being given a high degree of autonomy, after all. But I can't complain: if I'm here it's thanks to him and the stolen backup data."

"Then…! You're not human - you're a Net Navi!" Saito gasped.

"Yeah! A Net Navi using an improved copy of your materialization program, Saito… I'm your newest rival!" He announced.

"Damn. First Umbra, then Sergei, now you… Is there no end to my spin-offs?" Saito groaned.

"But then… Why would you bother to buy groceries? Or is your "Mistress" human?" Netto demanded.

"Well…" Max seemed to trail off in purpose.

"Ah! Papa's program…! Mr. T. must've copied it and complete it on his own!" Saito grasped.

"Bravo, Meitantei Saito." He clapped his hands in a mock applause.

"And the mail from Forte… You made it up!" Netto growled.

"Yeah! _It's show time_!"

He snapped his right hand's fingers: a "Nebula Dimensional Converter" appeared and both of them were warped away all of a sudden.

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh…?"

Netto regained consciousness after an unspecified amount of time: he blinked several times and he felt dizzy

_What the hell…?_

He looked around and spotted that he was lying in a king-sized bed: he had a red bath robe on.

_The jerk took off my clothes and gave me this instead? Huh…? Wait… I can feel something else… Shit. I know what it is!_

He opened the bath robe to reveal some gear set on his body: there was a thin band around his neck with a small metallic ring.

There were another two interconnected bands of adjustable length which passed over his shoulders, ran down his sides and circled around his ankles, almost scratching his member.

A small circle had been set on the base of his cock with three bands circling around the whole of his sack.

He also had some metallic pieces set on his forearms.

_S&M gear…! I knew it! That "Mistress" of this guy is an S&M sadist who wants to abuse of us…! Huh? Where's niisan?_

"Now…! The gate has been unlatched and headstones pushed aside; corpses shift and offer room: a fate you must abide! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Max's deep and scary voice proclaimed close by.

Netto sat up and spotted Saito naked and tied into chair nailed on the floor near the bed: he had the same gear on but he also had a black wool blindfold and a small plastic spheroid with many small holes and a black leather band to adjust it around his lower head.

His legs had been spread apart as well and had ropes on his ankles and below the knees tying him to the chair's legs.

Some more ropes were tied above and below his nipples to immobilize him.

He also had two clothes pegs set on his nipples: one was made of plastic and colored red: it was placed on the right one and facing forward while the other was made of wood and set on his left one: it was placed horizontally.

_Niisan…!_

He also spotted someone else next to Saito: a cloaked figure with a black tunic who was massaging Saito's chest with a hand funded in a black leather glove: they looked about a meter and sixty tall.

_Damn._

The person was currently toying with Saito's nipples by pulling the clothes pegs, making him try to yell something, but being unable to do so because of the spheroid.

"Niisan! Hold on!" He exclaimed.

Netto tried to climb out of the bed: suddenly, though, a hand grabbed his neck from behind and pushed him back into the bed.

"What?"

He found the barrel of a gun in front of his forehead, and Max, also wearing a bath robe, colored blue, was holding it: it was partly open revealing that he also had gear on his body.

"Sorry, Netto – kun. But you're my playmate. My Mistress is teaching Saito some nice lessons of the New Order. Or, rather, some games." Max announced.

"You lowlife!" Netto growled.

"Netto – kun… You should watch your manners in front of such an important person." Max told him.

"Che! If that woman has the guts then show your face! You villain! You rascal!" Netto angrily challenged.

"Hmpf. Foolish man…" The figure scoffed.

The person lowered the hood and Netto gasped.

"Wha!"

That face was unmistakable: she was the "Devil" Roll that they had had to face back when the N1 Grand Prix.

Her eyes' irises were colored purple this time around and her hair was tainted blood red.

"The "Devil" Roll? Impossible! We broke the "Devil Chip"!" Netto gasped.

"Yeah! But did you know what became of it afterwards?"

"Huh? No…" He realized.

"Higure - san, being the Rare Chip _otaku_ he is, picked it up and stored it on the back store of Higureya." He let out.

"And you then stole it and resurrected her!" Netto growled.

"Yeah. I gladly became Her Grace's servant." Max shrugged.

"And I shall teach you men something: you have ruled History for way too long. It is time for us to rewrite it." Eva announced with an evil grin.

"Lemme go, you…!" Netto growled.

"Nope. The party's gonna start."

He quickly tossed the gun into the air and grabbed Netto's forearms: he turned him around and placed them together before adding a small metallic piece to lock both of them together, thus immobilizing them.

"Shit!" Netto growled.

Max then picked a spare spheroid and blindfold which he placed on Netto, thus leaving him unable to shout or see.

"There: all's set." He grinned.

"Make a good dirty show." Eva grinned.

She picked a leather armchair colored black and sat down on it on an angle which allowed her to see Saito in an unobstructed manner.

"Yes, ma'am. By your orders." Max confirmed.

He picked a short metallic chain and closed one end on the metallic ring: he then added two cuffs for the ankles with a rigid steel bar to immobilize them.

"Come, Netto – kun. Saito is missing you. I think you need to show him you're here." Max whispered.

He rummaged into a small paper bag and placed the clothes pegs on Netto's nipples and his before tugging the chain and having him stand up on the ground: the bath robe fell into the ground and Max took his off, too, before tossing both of them into the bed.

"Let's go, Netto – kun: I can see Saito's cock itching to be used by your nice ass." He told him in a soft and charming tone.

Saito heard that, so he began to struggle against the ropes and moved the head from side to side.

"Heh, heh, heh."

Max forced Netto to walk over there and then had him drop on his knees: he pushed his head forward until it made contact with Saito's balls before he forced him to rub his nose against the shaft and turn it hard.

"Here, Saito… Your otouto – chan is going to repent for his actions by giving you a neat blowjob." Max told him.

He removed Netto's spheroid and forced him to take the cock inside his mouth: he began to set a pace as he also lowered to his knees and put his cock inside of Netto's insides.

"Oho. Don't forget these."

Eva walked over to them and put two sets of red anal beads with a small ring in one end into both Saito's and Max's insides before sitting back on the armchair.

"Men are dirty and filthy: that's their number one defect. We women are always subtle and elegant." Eva announced.

Max began to play with the clothes pegs on Netto's nipples with his left hand while he used the right one to force him to keep on sucking Saito's cock: Saito suddenly arched his body backwards and released while overfilling Netto's mouth.

"Splendid." Eva sounded eager.

Max began to rub Netto's cock and gripped his balls as well: Netto also released and his inner muscles tightened around Max's cock: he released as well while looking satisfied.

"Heh, heh, heh. Netto – kun. Thanks for allowing me to stop being a virgin and have you as my first boy." He whispered into his right ear as he replaced the spheroid.

He then stood up and turned Netto around before having him sit down on Saito's lap with Saito's cock going into his insides: Max quickly picked some spare rope and tied it below Netto's nipples to keep him glued to Saito's body.

"Heh, heh, heh."

Max grinned and picked Netto's cock to begin sucking in: Saito began to agitate his hips and he moved Netto up and down along the length of his cock.

"Heh, heh. The grace is in not being able to feel the whole length and the pacing being quicker…" Eva giggled in an evil manner.

Max was toying with own cock using his right hand while he kept on sucking Netto's cock: the anal beads on Saito's insides began to be sucked in by the spasms of his inner muscles.

"Soon, we shall rewrite the whole Cyber World and place measures to close and delete all websites containing imagery of men abusing of women… And it'll be women ruling men. I don't mind letting same-sex imagery roaming around: they deserve being recognized." Eva announced.

Netto arched his body backwards as he released and his muscles gripped Saito's cock: Saito was forced to release again: Max also released while staining Netto's sack and cock: his anal beads were sucked in as well.

"Lovely… Two brothers attached to each other… And contrary to what people thing, incest ain't that bad of a thing." Max grinned.

He then lifted Netto up and turned him around while forcing him to stand up: he removed Saito's spheroid and force him to take on Netto's cock inside of his mouth.

"Heh ,heh!"

Max grinned and put a white plastic plug on Saito's urethra while tying some ropes around the base of his cock and his sack: he also added a green-colored plastic cloth peg on his cock's wrapped foreskin: Saito arched his body backwards.

"Netto – kun's little rosy ass is waiting for me… Here I come!" Max announced.

He began to thrust in and out of Netto's insides while playing with the clothes pegs on his nipples and along with his sack: Eva looked on and had an eager smile on her face.

"Yeah… S&M threesome between men… It's intriguing." She muttered with a hint of evil to her voice.

Netto eventually released and overfilled Saito's mouth while he caused for Max to release as well: Max pulled him back and had him lower his head before he forced him to share a passionate kiss with Saito: he toyed with Netto's cock in the meanwhile.

"Here: make some cute brotherly kisses. You'll be forever recorded and go down in history." Max announced.

He glanced at the right of Eva's armchair to see a tripod-mounted video camera recording the whole thing as evidenced by the red LED shining beneath the lens.

"Enough." Eva commanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

Max separated them and placed the spheroids on again before making Netto head over to behind Saito: he placed the ring of the anal beads on Netto's cock and stuffed his cock inside of him.

"Your ass will get used to my nice cock, Netto – kun."

He picked up a 2 cm black silicon vibrator with a battery compartment which he turned on and rubbed against Netto's nipples: Netto involuntarily agitated and his cock began to pull backwards the anal beads while Saito arched his body backwards in obvious agony.

"Heh, heh, heh. Come on, Netto – kun. You're making Saito a favor, did you know it? You'll soon be able to experience it, too." Max whispered into his right ear.

He gripped Netto's balls with the right hand and applied force to it: Netto arched his body backwards and his cock arched backwards with greater force thus increasing the rate of the pulling out.

"Oho. Let's plug it up."

Max put a plug on Netto's urethra as well as Netto kept on arching until the anal beads totally came out and left Saito's entrance wide open.

"Good job, Netto – kun. Here."

Max took the plug out and let Netto release by staining his own upper torso and face: he then removed his own cock and had Netto descend to his knees and arch his body towards the ground while leaving his own entrance exposed: Max began to push the beads in until they were all inside of him.

"Here: filled up."

He rubbed Netto's cock and stuffed it into Saito's brutally widened insides: he then turned Saito's neck leather band 180º around and connected the other end of the chain to the ring.

"Saito! Do me a favor and help your otouto by pulling him inside."

Max moved to the front and began to lick and suck around Saito's cock in a slow and deliberate manner: Saito began to arch his body forward and he pulled Netto forward, thus making his cock slide deeper inside of him: Max grinned and kept at it as Saito arched forward and backwards while dragging Netto and his cock along.

"Heh, heh, heh. Fantastic!" Eva laughed.

Max then felt how Saito's cock was bulging, so he took out the plug and Saito arched his body forward thus pulling Netto inside: Netto also released into Saito's insides.

"Let's continue."

Max wasted no time and stood up to remove the spheroid and force his cock inside of Saito's mouth: he began to move his head and force the earlier ritual to repeat.

"Hmpf. Struggle. The more you struggle, the more painful it will be… And, eventually, hatred and fury will take over your minds and you will be mere puppets of the _Dark Side_." Eva eagerly announced.

Saito's cock got hard again and he released while Max also overfilled his mouth and seemed to enjoy the feeling of his anal beads slowly being sucked in.

"Ah… Splendid."

He replaced the spheroid and then unchained Netto before dragging him to the front: he took out his own anal beads and placed them into Saito's insides again.

"We're gonna have an interesting ritual." He told them.

He sat down on Saito's lap to allow his cock to go inside while he forced Netto to go down into his knees and suck his own cock: he'd also plugged Netto's cock and tied it up.

"You're some good guys… This video will go over the 100,000 viewers mark! Heh, heh, heh! You have such _sex appeal_, really… Too bad you didn't realize that!" Max chuckled.

He kept on riding along Saito's length while Netto sucked his own cock: he looked eager and psychotic: he released and overfilled Netto's mouth before Saito also released.

"Let's end this." He announced.

"Go." Eva commanded.

He detached himself and plugged Saito's cock again.

"Heh, heh!"

He then pulled their heads to be close to each other and removed their spheroids before forcing them to lick his cock at the same time: they synchronized and moved along the length before Max released and made sure to fill both of their mouths.

"Kiss."

He brought their heads together and forced them to share a kiss with him at the same time: two strings linked them together.

"Not yet."

Max then grabbed the ends of the anal beads and pulled them out at a mad speed: both yelled in agony before they lost consciousness because of the abuse they had suffered.

"Excellent." Eva giggled.

She took out a remote from her tunic's right pocket and switched the video camera off: Max undid Saito's ropes and Eva picked him before dropping him inside a convenience store cart.

"Keep Netto chained to the bed. And make sure to drill him before you bring over the next guest. The show won't be complete without them, ya know." Eva commanded.

"Sure. It's just 17:45 PM, so…" Max shrugged.

"Get him here before 18:25." Eva ordered.

"Roger." He bowed.

Max carefully picked Netto and made him lie on the bed before turning his collar band 180º around and attached the chain to the railing.

"Stay there."

He grinned and walked over to a door leading into a bathroom where he looked at the mirror and examined his hands.

_I did it: Netto – kun is mine! It'll only be for another little while, but… I've done it. He's mine. He belongs to me! Man! What an intense session… But I'm ready for more! Heh, heh, heh…_

He opened the cold water tap and washed his face with it before grabbing a comb and fixing his hair a bit.

_I look SO cool!_

Satisfied, he headed over to the bed and climbed next to Netto while humming a tune.

SPLASH!

"Grah! Cold!"

Saito suddenly sat up on a bed after feeling cold water splash his body: he looked around in a confused manner: he had the gear on but the blindfold and spheroid had been taken out: his arms had been freed, too, and he didn't have the clothes pegs on.

"Huh?"

This bed was placed in a part of a dimly lit square-shaped stone room which had been cut off and had a wall made of steel bars along with a door.

Two beds were placed inside of it while being parallel to each other and Saito was occupying the right side one.

There also was a door which led to an adjacent bathroom behind him.

The whole space looked reminiscent of a dungeon and it was lit with candles.

He looked beyond the bars and gasped: there was a metallic triangular horse affixed into the ground: it had two black 5cm silicon vibrators set on it: they had spots into them and looked painful.

_A metallic horse…! _

"Awake?" A voice questioned.

He gasped again and spotted Eva standing beyond the bars and having a bucket on her hands: Saito then looked at his body and realized the blankets were covering him from the waist beneath.

"You…!" Saito hissed with obvious hatred.

"Hmpf. As expected." She made a smug smile.

Saito climbed out of the bed and ran towards her but collided with something invisible and was knocked back into the ground: he managed to slowly sit up while rubbing his forehead.

"My EM barrier is useful to keep slaves at bay from me." She announced while shrugging.

"You…!" Saito hissed.

"Hmpf. Boast while you can." She told him.

"Did that Mr. T. order you two to do this thing?" He demanded.

"No! We decided on our own. Mr. T. wants us to develop our own personality and that little "Dark Chip" game is only to keep you people hooked: we're loose and we're supposed to be emergency agents in case something happened to him: he wanted me to tell you." Eva admitted while sounding bored.

"Where is the guy at?"

"Dunno! He loves suspense and we've never seen his face: he always uses the "Eye" to interact with us. Maybe he's in Anchorage, even." She didn't seem to care.

"Are you planning on driving me crazy?" Saito demanded next.

"No! Mr. T. wants us to find out if you're gonna end up like Skywalker: consumed by hatred." Eva smugly replied.

"Shit. We're not gonna end up as _Sith_!" Saito scowled.

"Then prove it. But I'll go prepare everything for the next guest. He'll be coming in less than 20 minutes. Tee, heh, heh. If you thought Nemenaya Mies was a dangerous woman, then she's nothing compared to me. Why do you think I used a whip back when the N1 Grand Prix? But Jack Electel obviously wouldn't allow for such a thing to happen in public and I agree with it: it's better off like this." She explained.

"Shit. If Higure – san hadn't picked the thing up, then it'd be at the bottom of the bay by now!" Saito cursed.

"Make sure to strangle him once you get out of here: your chances clock at 19%. _Bye – bye_!"

She quickly ran off the room and locked the door while Saito sat on his bed and sunk his head on his hands while making a grimace.

_19%...! I WILL get out of here along with Netto – kun! And then we'll defeat Mr. T…!_

He tried to reach for the bars but found the same invisible obstacle: he looked at his body and spotted how his nipples had the marks of the clothes pegs and how his cock also had those marks from being tied up: his ass was still aching.

"Damn. As if being raped isn't enough then they also leave you sequels which last for hours. And in the meanwhile Netto – kun must be being abused by that damned interloper!" He cursed.

He brought both fists down on the sin's edge out of frustration and tried to suppress the tears which had begun to form on his eyes.

"Damn! I'm always so disgraced…! I always end up running into trouble for some reason or another…! To think Netto – kun and I saved the Network several times and I can't save myself…!"

_Damn you, Mr. T! We'll defeat you AND the triumvirate!_


	9. Chapter 8: Cellmate

**Chapter 8: Cellmate**

18:15 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… The "Net Saviors" have come! Surrender!"

Enzan entered the same basement Netto had come to.

"Nobody…?" He muttered.

"Weird. Freeze Man told us there was a "Dark Chip" cache here and wanted us to deal with it." Blues muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Who the…?" Enzan cursed.

"Come out!" Blues challenged.

Max came out while having a grin on his face.

"You're Max!" Enzan gasped.

"Child of my enemy… Why have you come? I offer no forgiveness… Of father's sins, passed to his son…" He announced.

"What?" Blues frowned.

"You have some grudges with my old man? I'm not surprised."

"Of course! You came for _him_. We exist together now: two corpses on one grave. And, yet… Perhaps a part of _him _remains…" He told them.

"Whom do you mean?" Blues questioned with a hint of suspicion.

Max suddenly moved forward and closed the right arm around Enzan's neck: he picked the Link PET with his left hand and engaged the GPS beacon before he threw into the ground.

"Heh, heh, heh. Enzan! Welcome to the club. We're gonna have lots of fun today!" He announced.

The "Dimensional Converter" popped out and both vanished while Blues gasped in horror.

18:21 PM (Japan Time)…

_Huh… Where am I…?_

Enzan slowly regained consciousness only to realize he couldn't see or speak and that he was immobilized: he could feel the S&M gear into his body.

_What! An S&M club…?_

"You will show me what he hides! Or I shall feast upon _your_ _bones_!" The deep voice hissed with obvious fury close by.

_That guy is nuts! _Enzan cursed.

"… Well. That's enough acting! Heh, heh, heh. Enzan! You're gonna have fun with your _koibito_ over here. His cock is twitching and eager to go inside of your big mouth." Max told him.

_Koibito…? Netto…? He captured Netto? _Enzan gasped.

Max removed the spheroid and forced Netto's cock inside of Enzan's mouth while he moved behind him and began to thrust in and out of his insides.

_What the…_

Enzan tried to struggle but he felt a vibrator attached to his cock's head starting up: he arched his body backwards and noticed how he was pulling a chain which was obviously linked to Netto's own ring.

_D-damn! If I move, then I'm forcing Netto to put his cock deeper into my mouth! _

Netto eventually released and overfilled Enzan's mouth as he felt Max's hand taking out his plug and letting his cock spray him: he could also feel Max filling his insides.

_I f-feel overwhelmed…!_

"It's time for a lover's kiss!" Max told them.

_Shit._

He forced Netto to lower his body until Enzan's cock came into his insides and then made Netto and Enzan share a kiss while he placed the anal beads into Enzan's insides and he stuffed his cock into Netto's insides as well.

_Anal beads…! My muscles' spasms are pulling them inside of my body and the sensation is overwhelming me…!_

"Heh, heh, heh. Keep at it." Eva's voice rang out.

_Damn! A woman is behind this! Wait. Don't I know that voice from somewhere else?_

He suddenly felt how Netto's cock went off and sprayed his face before his muscles tightened around both cocks and both Enzan and Max released while overfilling his insides.

_Damn! I'm gonna end up mad at this rate!_

They broke their kiss to pant for air but Max quickly put the spheroids on them again: he detached Netto and forced him to lower into his knees and have him do a blowjob while he pushed in and pulled out of his insides.

_Damn! Is there no end to this? Don't tell me the repressed experience of what happened with that Togakawa psycho will come out as well: that'd be catastrophic for Netto's mindset!_

Enzan suddenly released and filled Netto's mouth while Netto was forced to spray Enzan's balls and cock: Max filled his insides as well.

"Heh. Let's keep on. Netto – kun will make you a favor and slowly pull out those beads from your ass, Enzan. He's a nice _koibito_, ya know. He loves toying with ya~!" Max told him.

He placed a plug on Enzan's urethra and then forced Netto to go stand behind Enzan: he placed the ring at the end of the beads on Netto's cock and began to abuse of his insides yet again while toying with the clothes pegs on his nipples and his balls: he also chained him to Enzan's neck again.

_Shit! This is madness!_

The sensations forced him to arch his body backwards the whole time and slowly pull out the anal beads.

_Netto…! He must be about to break down at this rate…! Why can't I do anything? Damn!_

The anal beads finally came out and Enzan was forced to release yet again to spray his upper torso and face: he had barely had time to recover when he felt Netto's cock into his open insides.

_What!_

Max plugged him again and teased his nipples with the vibrator to force him to bend forward and arch backwards.

_I'm forcing Netto to pull in and out while that guy keeps on abusing of his insides! _

"Let your cock go out and make an uglier mess: that's what makes you a man!" Eva commanded.

Max unplugged him again and Enzan had to release: the usual chain reaction happened by Netto and Max going on as well.

"Heh, heh, heh, ehh!"

Max then put his cock inside of Enzan while he forced Netto to put his into him by connecting the three of them together: he also put the beads into Netto's insides as well.

"A threesome, Enzan! Hadn't you ever wanted to do it? This is the best kind of S&M play!" Max told him.

_Shit! This is worse than being a P.O.W., even! _

Max used his vibrator to force Enzan to go off and trigger the usual chain reaction: Max then put the beads back on Enzan's insides and sat on Enzan's lap to allow his cock to go inside of him while he forced Netto to do him a blowjob.

_I'm going to run dry at this rate…! That's the worst thing which can happen, damn it! _Enzan cursed.

"Come on, Enzan… We're almost done. You'll then go meet your cellmate and you'll have a little break before Eva – sama has you two experience the metallic horse." Max whispered into his right ear.

_No! A metallic horse…! And that woman is named "Eva"… What an ironic name!_

He lifted Netto and forced both of them to lick his cock before he sprayed their mouths and had them share a kiss with him.

_No more…!_

He then pulled both of their beads out with force and both cried before they lost consciousness because of the experiences.

"Heh, heh, heh. Good job, Max. Do whatever you want with Netto: I'll take Enzan downstairs." Evan told Max.

"Roger. I'll let him rest for a while before I slowly make him submit to my will…" Max confirmed with a grin.

"… Huh… Uh!"

Saito was trying to sleep in the bed but was continuously tossing around and looking nervous while his body convulsed on several spots.

"… Huh…?

He suddenly heard a sound like the buzz of a mosquito and a metallic key spinning on a lock along with a door opening: there was a muffled sound before the door slammed shut and the buzz-like sound vanished: footsteps rushed out.

_What…?_

Saito yawned and sat up while rubbing his eyes: he then looked at his left and gasped upon spotting Enzan: he'd been tossed face-down on the bed in a blunt manner and looked unconscious.

"Enzan!" He gasped.

_Damn! They got Enzan too!_

He ran next to him and checked on him: his pulse was stable and so were his breathing and heartbeat: he softly pulled the bed's covers up and helped Enzan climb into it before covering him up to the neck.

_Poor Enzan…! He must've been forced to be in chair while otouto was forced to do things with him and that Max jerk…! This has gone way too far…!_

"Heh, heh, heh. Rest while you can: the current time is 18:55 PM and the horse session will begin at 19:15 PM. You have 20 minutes." Eva announced as she walked in and stood next to the right side of the metallic horse two meters from the bars.

"You…!" Saito hissed.

"Remember: 19%. Try using your intelligence. I'm sure you'll come up with something desperate. But nothing will help you run away from the horse: it's waiting to slowly bring you to the edge and make you plummet into fear and desperation…" Eva announced in a sinister tone of voice.

"No…!" Saito gasped and looked afraid.

"Yeah! That face… The face of powerlessness, despair, fear, terror and desperation…! The greatest pleasure there is… I know when to enjoy subtleness! See ya!"

She quickly ran off the room while Saito let out some tears of frustration and collapsed on his knees while leaning his arms and head on Enzan's chest.

"Why…? Why am I this powerless…? Why am I allowing fear to rule over my emotions…? No…! I won't end up like Anakin…! I will be stronger than the temptations of the _Dark Side_ and fight back without hatred or vengeance…!" He muttered.

"Unh…" Enzan muttered.

Saito gasped and looked up: Enzan was convulsing and seemingly waking up: he suddenly closed his arms and legs and seemed to assume a crawling pose.

"Huh?"

Saito stood up and stepped back while trying to dry his own tears.

"Enzan…?" He softly called out.

"Unh… Ugh… Ah… Stop… I'm going to… end up… dry…!" Enzan groaned while sounding like he was having sequels.

"Enzan…" Saito muttered.

"Netto…! I'm sorry…! I can't protect you…! I'm an idiot! I fell for it so easily…! Please forgive me…! I keep on failing you…! I'm not worth your trust or friendship…!" Enzan muttered while tears flew out of his closed eyes and down his cheeks.

"Enzan is… crying while sleeping…" Saito muttered.

"What can I do…? I'm powerless…! I need power…! I need to become stronger…! And then I'll protect you…!" Enzan muttered next.

Saito sighed and walked over to his bed: he climbed on it and tried to sleep but he was unable to no matter what pose he tried to use.

"Grah. I can't get asleep. I feel afraid…! I'm afraid…! I'm not the strong niisan you thought I was, Netto – kun…! I'm weak…! I'm afraid of ghosts at 13 years old, even…! I'm so stupid… Really…" Saito muttered.

"… Heh, heh, heh. How does it feel like, Netto – kun?"

Max had made Netto lay face-up on the bed while chaining his neck to the iron railings of the bed: his legs kept on being spread and his arms bound: the blindfold was still on.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Netto had a metallic circle set on his face which forced him to keep his mouth open as Max moved his cock in and out of it.

"And also…"

Netto's cock was tied with ropes on the base and on the balls: nine blue-colored clothes pegs were clipped in a range on underside of them.

A green-colored one was gripping his wrapped foreskin: the anal beads had been placed inside of him and he was sucking them in without willing to: his upper torso and face was stained with the white liquid.

"You'll keep on cumming over and over again 'till you run dry… But I've got artificial cum here to refill you, so… There's nothing to be worried about… I'm not like a bad guy… I _love_ you, Netto – kun. I want to have you here and teach you all the secrets a boy's body has to it… And don't call it unfair 'cause I've geared myself up just like you…" Max whispered into his right ear.

He kept on moving Netto's head back and forth while using his left hand to toy with his clothes pegs and also employed his finger toes to tease his balls or pull some beads out: Netto came to again and stained his upper torso and face.

"You're _beautiful_, Netto – kun. No – one else can realize the subtleness of it… Only _I_ can! And if you were hoping that your nanomachines would save you… Sorry. But I disabled their GPS systems: Mr. T. has been researching into them as well." Max told him.

He used his tongue to clean the stains and savored it inside of his throat while Netto convulsed over and over again.

"Heh, heh, ehh!"

Max increased his pace and he released to overfill his mouth: he then put a plug on there and pulled Netto's neck skin under his jaw to force him to swallow it up and down his throat: Max grinned and his eyes shone with lust as he toyed with the cloth peg around Netto's wrapped foreskin by pulling it up.

"You can't enough from this. Boy's bodies have a lot of secrets to them and I'll have you discover them all. You'll achieve ultimate pleasure and you won't be able to forget it… One day you'll want to be in control too and try it on me… Which I wouldn't mind…"

Netto continued on convulsing and Max's grin grew wider.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh! I'm so lucky~! Glory to Mr. T!_

18:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… What the hell! Enzan was abducted by that Max guy?"

"Yeah. And he tossed my PET on the ground of the place, too… I dunno where they ended up at."

Laika was startled when Blues showed up on the Net Police HQ's computer while looking angered and defeated.

"I'll go pick it up: we need to try to find the trace of that Converter's activation!" Laika announced as he quickly stood up.

"Why do you think Max would abduct your Operator, Blues?" Search Man asked.

"… I have a hunch but no proof to back it up… But one thing is for sure: he wants to inflict harm to him." Blues grimly muttered.

"Shit." Search Man cursed.

Laika quickly put on his cloak and picked up his own Link PET before running out into the street and looking at a street map with the building's location there.

"Search Man! Begin tracking and searching for any "Dimensional Converter" signatures: they have to be either old-model or new-model and we have signatures for both of them!" Laika commanded.

"Roger."

"I'll mark the route." Blues announced.

Laika quickly crossed several streets and found the building about ten minutes later: he entered the basement and picked up Enzan's Link PET before wiping the dust off its surface.

"Hard to believe it got so much dust in a few minutes… This place is really abandoned!"

He searched the empty crates but found nothing.

"Damn. Enzan. What the hell is going on?" He cursed aloud.

"I'm afraid of the worse." Blues admitted.

"… Torture?" Laika guessed.

"And not your everyday kind..."

"Shit." Laika knew what it was about.

"Sexual torture, so as to speak?" Search Man guessed.

"Yeah. The damn S&M thing: remember what happened with those "Organization" freaks." Blues growled.

"Damn. I read that report, yeah… To think they actually stormed the Net Police HQ…!"

"And Netto almost lost his sanity there but thankfully enough Hikari – hakase managed to find a way to make him get his mind filled with other trivial stuff thus he didn't remember any of that." Blues reminded Search Man.

"Yeah… And Saito got his memory logs altered… The man who was in charge of that gang raped him… And I remember when we stormed that place owned by that sadist who'd managed to torture two of Hikari's classmates…" Search Man hissed.

"Is there no end to those freaks?"

"If only Twilight hadn't stirred them up…!" Blues cursed.

"Damn Twilight. And to think he actually did that of May to "escape" and fake his death… I'm sure that hadn't the guy decided to stay elsewhere then they would've come back and play the "I am invincible" role." Laika cursed next while punching a support column.

"We need a lead, sir."

"That's easier said than done. They could be using any kind of house and under a faked name or register… Let's get to the Net Police HQ and begin to run a search: there must some witness account somewhere!"

_Damn them! I'll bring an end to those freaks myself!_


	10. Chapter 9: Freezing Alaska

**Chapter 9: Freezing Alaska**

12:06 AM (Anchorage Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… De a~ru… I'll make the second pass…"

"… Well! Once the sun comes out, then we're gonna be heading to Jawaii… I'm fed up with this stupid port but it's the best one to smuggle the cargo inside…"

Kurohige was drinking some beer as he played Trumps with Dive Man inside of the ship's room despite the late hour.

"I'll make the third pass, de a~ru." He announced.

"Heh! Overtrump!" Kurohige grinned.

The interphone suddenly buzzed and Kurohige grumbled as he walked over to it and turned it on.

"Captain! We've got trouble!" Allan's voice rang out.

"What… You guys ran outta whisky?" Kurohige grumbled.

"Wrong! The machines…! They've frozen and trapped inside of ice which formed out of nowhere! We can't start them up at all no matter how hard we try!" Allan reported.

"What the… That's impossible!" Kurohige cursed.

"Trouble, de a~ru." Dive Man muttered.

"Oi! You! Shut up!" Kurohige snapped at him.

"Roger, de a~ru."

"Game Over." A voice rang out.

"What!"

"Someone's 'ere, de a~ru." Dive Man muttered.

"Obviously." The voice confirmed.

"Come out!" Kurohige challenged.

Freeze Man became visible: he was leaning against the cabin's door and had his arms folded: he looked amused as well.

"My name is Freeze Man: I cooperate with the Net Police. Thus, I've come here to stop you from escaping: the authorities are on their way here after I tipped them off that you painted over the ship's name and you faked the register." Freeze Man announced.

"Why, you…! Dive Man! Blow 'im up!" Kurohige cursed.

"Roger, de a~ru! Smart Missile!"

"Mountain Spear!"

The metallic projectiles met the Smart Missiles head-on and detonated them before they could reach their target.

"What the hell!" Kurohige cursed.

"Ice Tower!"

The Ice Tower pierced through Dive Man's body and lifted him up into the ceiling.

"Plug Out!" Kurohige gasped.

He returned to the Link PET just as the Copy Roid exploded from the attained damage.

"Hmpf."

The sound of choppers, police cars and boats became louder and seemed to surround the whole ship: some shooting could be heard along with heavy and quick footsteps.

"I said it: Game Over." Freeze Man told him.

"No way!" Kurohige cursed.

"Farewell."

Freeze Man dematerialized while the door was kicked open and four policemen ran in: Kurohige cursed under his breath.

19:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Freeze Man. You're back."

"Kurohige: caught."

"Good. But we've got trouble."

"What?"

Forte greeted Freeze Man once he returned: he looked nervous and worried, surprising Freeze Man.

"Hikari, Saito and Ijuuin are missing! Max caught them a while ago and they can't be located no matter what!"

"Saito…? Eh… Wasn't that a nickname for Rock Man?" Freeze Man frowned.

"Ah… Yeah. Correct. It'd seem they were lured out by faked emails apparently coming from me or you. And I can guess what that Max guy is doing with them." Forte told him.

"What a catastrophe. What are we going to do?" Freeze Man cursed and brought a hand to his forehead.

"I'm not sure… I'll go out and try checking any nearby places: if Max bought all that stuff and he carried it on foot then he's gotta live close to the convenience store. You search the Cyber World in a 900 meters radius starting at that convenience store." Forte suggested a course of action while turning serious.

"That sounds logical. Count on me! I won't let such lowlifes get away with it so easily." Freeze Man nodded in agreement.

"Good. I knew I could count on you. I'm off." Forte sounded slightly relieved.

"Good luck." Freeze Man encouraged.

"Thanks."

"I'll try the real world."

Forte entered his Gospel Shuryou robot body and quickly stood up: he was about to run off the small room containing just an armchair, a repairs machine and a small table when a cell phone began to ring.

_Who the…? Death Shadow…? No! I'm sure it's Mr. T: he must wanna show off! Maybe I can get some info outta the guy!_

He quickly picked it up and paid attention.

"… I shall rule over both humans and Net Navis. That is the will of the Gods. And what am I…? I am their instrument!" The caller announced in an excited tone of voice.

"Mr. T: I know it's you." Forte told him.

"Excellent, Gospel Shuryou… Or should I name ya Meitantei Forte? Heh, heh, heh." Mr. T. chuckled.

"What's the point of this?" He demanded.

"There's no point in hiding." Mr. T. replied, laughing.

"Then you'll show your hide around."

"Not yet."

"I've heard that too much times." Forte grumbled.

"Bear with it."

"Look! Are you just going to laugh at my face or are you going to say something important?"

"The probabilities of those boys escaping clock at an estimated 19%." Mr. T. let out.

"What did you say?" The statement caught him off-guard.

"They'll surely be out before 21:00 PM." Mr. T. concreted.

"And what's the point of kidnapping the boys?" He questioned.

"I want Max and his friend to try them while I prepare my master plan: I need to make sure they were strong enough."

"Strong enough…?" Forte frowned.

"I mean… I wanted to set up extreme circumstances which could easily lead them to harbor hatred and vengeance towards both Max and his Mistress: if they were tempted by them and acted like that, then I'd rather not involve them at all. But if they can realize the trap and not fall for it, then they're worth their "Net Savior" pride. In short: it's a test to prove their hearts." Mr. T. exposed.

"Hmmm… I will admit that it's rather true, but…" Forte muttered.

"Of course: I don't expect you to understand me or forgive me. I will simply test you guys and, given the results, determine if you'll be strong enough to battle the _triumvirate_."

"So! This whole affair is a large experiment?" Forte summed up.

"Yeah. My _aibou_ used to say that sometimes there's no other way but to have people undergo an extreme experience and then see how they react afterwards: but, sometimes, there's the need to intervene by blocking off memories or exposing that the others were misled or deluded." Mr. T. admitted.

"Who was your _aibou_? He sounds like a guy with a lot of responsibilities somewhere." Forte questioned.

"Sorry. He's the type to remain quiet. But he has no intention of opposing you or harming you: he's just watching it unfold."

"As long as they don't intervene, then I don't mind someone keeping an eye out… What's your goal?" Forte muttered before asking.

"Goal? Ah. We're getting to the point! But I don't like spoilers, sadly enough! I didn't tell Max or his Mistress so it'll be useless to try to draw any info outta 'em. You should know they're my backups in case something was to happen to me… There's a 27% margin of possibilities that I might even be defeated." Mr. T. explained.

"What! You admit that you could be defeated?" Forte gasped.

"I'm realistic."

"What are you? Human…? Net Navi…?"

"Think what you want." Mr. T. enigmatically replied.

"And tracking this phone is a waste of time, too." Forte guessed.

"Yeah. I "borrowed" it. Heh, heh, heh." Mr. T. confirmed.

"Che." Forte grumbled.

"It'd seem the mood is getting bad. I'll have to go back to business. Go, Meitantei Forte! Bring the criminals to light and to justice!" Mr. T. joked and chuckled.

"Oi. I'm not Meitantei Forte." Forte grumbled.

"Who knows? Farewell!"

The line went dead and Forte grumbled something as picked the cell phone and ran down the stairs of the Kyutenpa Laboratory.

_Mr. T… Just who is he? He's doing this to test our emotions, but… He seems to have something else on mind! And he admits he could be defeated, too, even! This guy is no grunt: he's been planning this ahead of time! Even though he predicts the three of them will have escaped in about two hours' time, I won't give up and try to find them before that! _

He opened the street door and quickly ran towards the north along the already blackened streets lighted by the lights: his phone rang again and he picked it up again.

"Oh. One last thing... Call me Sigaano Nogaano as well."

"Si-what?" He uttered.

"Sigaano Nogaano. I win, I don't win."

"What a silly name! Sounds like a self-patented parody!"

"Call it my civilian name."

"Civilian? Then you're military or what? Hey! They ran! Che!"

_This guy isn't funny anymore! Hang on, guys!_

19:13 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Tee, heh, heh. Time."

"Crap."

"Damn."

Saito and Enzan had been talking to each other but Eva showed up on the main room while having a smug smile on her face: Spark Bee Viruses materialized around Enzan and kept him at bay while Eva came in and headed over to Saito while her eyes shone with a frightening lust on them which made Saito turn pale and step back.

"It's futile to resist, Saito. If you try, then Enzan gets the consequences of it: the Spark Bees' voltage isn't even 2 V, but it's enough to cause a startle into someone." Eva announced.

Saito sighed in defeat and turned around: Eva quickly locked his feet with the ankles cuffs but they had a short metallic chain instead: she locked his forearms and put on the blindfold along with the spheroid before she attached a chain to his ring and led him out of the cell.

"Climb." She ordered.

Saito climbed into the south end of the horse and slowly lowered his body so that the vibrator would go inside of him: Eva detached the chain and then attached two very short chains to each ankle cuff to keep it locked and connected to the horse.

"One. You're next, Enzan. Ah. But you must be filled up before that or else it won't be fun. Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh. So? What'll it be?" Eva announced.

"Crap." Enzan cursed.

"Do you want to experience 16 V?" She teased.

"Shit."

Enzan grumbled under his breath and turned around while Eva immobilized him, blindfolded him and gagged him.

"Good!"

She then headed back into the main room and picked what looked like a large syringe with a small thin plastic hose on it: it was filled with the white fluid.

"Let's fill it!"

She walked over to Enzan and inserted the tube into his cock: she then began to make the fluid come inside and Enzan shuddered.

"Heh, heh, heh. This must be your first time being loaded with artificial cum… You'll be dirtier than usual." She giggled.

She finished loading and then had him climb into the horse on the north end while facing Saito: she connected their necks and drew their faces very close.

"Tee, heh, ehh!"

She then put the clothes pegs on their nipples and the head of their cocks as well.

"Not yet."

Both seemed to gasp in horror at the announcement.

"Yeah. You know what I mean, don't ya?"

Eva rummaged into a paper bag and took out two vibrator controls with four wires with small capsule-shaped objects at their ends: she tied the remote into their right hips and then placed the four capsules: one per nipple, one on the head and another on the balls: she finally added the plug into their urethras.

"Good! You're all set up. Let's begin filming." She announced.

She turned the camera on and then engaged all five vibrators at the same time: both began to shake and convulse while their spheroids scratched against each other.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'll watch on for a while." She muttered.

She picked an armchair and calmly sat down on it while intercrossing her gloved fingers and leaning the left leg over the right hip: she was sporting black heeled boots.

"Tee, heh, heh."

Both Saito and Enzan convulsed and shook while their cocks crossed and aimed for each other's face and upper torso: their clothes pegs scratched against each other as well.

"Ah… Fantastic. 19:20 PM. 5 minutes… Can you hold on another 10 minutes, then? If you can, then I'll let you rest and be at a peace until tomorrow's morning... I'll be busy editing the videos before uploading them, anyway." She challenged.

Both seemed to focus their energies on holding on and Eva giggled under her breath.

"I knew it: a challenge is the best bait. They'll be glad to try to live up to it and be able to end this. We'll soon have rewritten that stupid myth of creation, too…" She muttered.

She stretched and leant her head backwards as she placed both hands behind her helmet: she watched them struggle and trying to lift up only to fall back given the chains on the ankles.

"Yeah… Try to lift up and you fall back… That small gap will make your insides be punished by the vibrators…" She muttered.

She then stood up and removed the spheroids to force them to undergo a deep kiss: she picked two sets of anal beads and forced them up their insides: they were soon being sucked up at a constant speed given the tool's vibrations.

"Let's make it funnier: 5 minutes left." She muttered.

She picked two small and thin ropes which she attached to the end of each string and then tied the other end around the foreskin of each one's cock: Saito's had Enzan's string tied into his cock and Enzan had Saito's string tied into him.

"This way, they'll slowly pull out each other's beads at a constant pace while they struggle not to have them be sucked back in… It's an eternal pain!" She eagerly muttered.

She looked at a chronometer and how they slowly began to pull more and more beads out.

"Can you get all of them out in the remaining 2:33 minutes?" She challenged next.

They began to make force with each other's cock to pull them out and they finally arched backwards as they pulled the last one out: they looked about to go off.

"Hmmm… 0:19 seconds left… But since I'm strict with the timing, then I'll wait 9 seconds before unplugging them: they'll be experiencing the so-called "white world"..." She muttered with a grin.

She slowly counted off the seconds and quickly took out the plugs: they both released and overfilled their mouths before they panted out of tiredness: Eva had them undergo a second kiss and then smiled upon seeing the string linking them together.

"Time over." She announced.

Both lost consciousness from the strain and she giggled under her breath as she turned off the video camera with her remote: she then began to remove the gear on them.

"Tee, heh, heh."

"… Heh, heh, heh. How does it feel to have a straw inside of your cock, Netto – kun? Doesn't it feel wonderful?"

Max was still playing with Netto by putting a plastic straw inside of his cock and moving it up and down: Netto arched and struggled but seemed to be growing out of strength.

"Hmmm… 19:35 PM… I guess I'll keep on another 10 minutes and then let you rest 'till tomorrow. But you'll give me another blowjob before that: it's why you have the mouth open, anyway." Max muttered.

He forced his cock inside through the ring and began to move Netto's head while still toying with the straw: Netto looked like he was reaching his limit and he was trembling or shuddering: some tears even slid down his cheeks.

"Afraid? No. There's no need to be afraid: I am peace. I am salvation. I am a timeless chorus: join your voice into mine and sing victory everlasting! Will you be able to resist the _Dark Side_? If you can, then you may be able to be a worthy adversary to Mr. T: this is an experiment. If you allow hatred and revenge to lead you, then you'll have casted aside your "Net Savior" moral conduct." Max whispered to him.

Netto seemed to gasp and he seemed to slow down and try to calm down upon hearing those words: Max smiled and used his left hand to rummage around his hair.

"Good boy. I knew you'd understand it, Netto – kun. You are a "Net Savior": hatred and revenge are out of the question. You will counter with coolness and courage. You will be the hero everyone looks up to and respects." Max whispered to him next.

He took out the straw and Netto released before losing consciousness and ending up limp: Max released, took out his cock, replaced the plug, and then hugged him as he pulled the covers over them to hide them.

_Heh… You're a fantastic boy, Netto – kun. I'll go and heat you up with my body… And I know you'll come back for me one day… Heh, heh, heh…_

"… Max? Oh. He's napping. Well! Whatever."

Eva came back in and looked in but shrugged: she headed to a kitchen nearby and picked a glass which she filled with apple juice from the fridge: she slowly drank it up and sighed.

"Wow. Mr. Sigaano is a genius. Being able to finish this program alone and then giving it to us… Human food and drink… It's fun! No! It's not "fun": it is evolution! We're no longer mere human imitators. We can enjoy the same things they enjoy! Tee, heh, heh, heh!"

_Cha are a genius, Boss!_


	11. Chapter 10: The Great Escape

**Chapter 10: Great Escape**

19:53 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… Ugh…"

Enzan was tossing around on his basement bed and clutching his chest like he was having heart problems: Saito looked like he was still unconscious while being covered by the covers from the waist downwards and laying face-up on the bed.

"Grah… Ah…! Medic…! Medic…!" He muttered.

"What?"

Eva showed up and looked towards there with a slightly annoyed look to her face.

"Ugh…! Ah…! My heart…! It's beating so fast…! Grah!" He hissed.

"Oi, oi!"

She quickly opened the door and ran next to Enzan.

"You're not gonna tell me it's a heart attack…! Oi! Answer me! What's wrong?" She gasped.

"Ugh! Grah!" Enzan hissed.

Saito, who was feigning being unconscious, suddenly jumped out of the bed and began to choke Eva from behind with both hands.

"Gruh!"

She tried to free herself by making force but Saito found her chest emblem and gripped it to force her into shutdown mode: she collapsed into the ground and lied there.

"Phew!"

Enzan calmly sat up and stretched before looking at Saito.

"Phew! Our improvised plan came out well. We've gotta handle Max next, though…" Enzan muttered.

"Leave it to me." Saito replied.

He picked a purple Link PET with the _aku_ ("evil") _Kanji_ painted on it in a blood red color and dialed a number.

"… Hmmm…"

Max was still hugging the unconscious Netto when he heard a vibration and popped his head out of the blankets: his cell phone was ringing.

"Oh man…"

He reached out to it and stretched.

"Eva – sama?" He guessed.

"Max. The cell door has gotten stuck. Come give me a hand to lock it before those two can wake up." A hushed voice commanded.

"Roger."

He put his blue bath robe on and lowered the blankets to leave Netto's head exposed: he then walked towards the south and crossed the threshold while humming a tune.

"Hah!"

Someone suddenly grabbed him from behind and gripped his forearms while another figure rummaged into his bath robe right pocket and took out the gun.

"Don't move!"

"Game Over."

Max gasped: Saito was holding him while Enzan was aiming the gun at his right shoulder.

"W-what? How did you escape?" He was baffled.

"That's not for ya to know." Saito replied.

"Sometimes, desperate ideas are the best. Your boss didn't account for those, see." Enzan replied.

"Shit." Max growled.

"Go, Saito! Take care of Netto. I'll handle this guy." Enzan told him.

He quickly moved behind him and closed his right arm around his neck while aiming the gun at his right shoulder from behind: he forced him to walk back inside of the room: Saito had climbed into the bed and was taking out all the stuff Netto had on his body.

"Come on: let's get rid of this. And once we get out, we're going to the Science Labs." He muttered.

He finished taking everything out along with his own S&M gear: Enzan locked Max's forearms and his ankles while forcing him into his knees before taking the stuff out as well.

"Uh… Unh… Uh…" Netto muttered.

"Otouto! Wake up!" Saito called out.

"Saito… niisan… Enzan… Ah!" He slowly muttered.

He gasped and sat up while opening his eyes wide: he looked at his body and seemed to assimilating the concept of not being tied up anymore.

"Oh… Niisa~n!" He cried.

He suddenly hugged Saito and began to sob while tears ran down his cheeks: Saito made a weak smile and tried to comfort him by massaging his back.

"Otouto… Don't cry: it's all over. We're free." Saito told him.

"I tried to… calm down… and not let… the _Dark Side_… tempt me…! I did it… didn't I…?" Netto muttered between sobs.

"Yeah. I'm proud of you, otouto. And Enzan is, too. Cheer up, otouto: I knew you could do it."

"Enzan…! I'm so sorry…! I dragged you into a mess…!" Netto looked towards him.

"Don't mind it." Enzan shrugged.

"Heh… That's your typical self…" Netto made a weak smile.

Both managed to climb out of the bed and Saito picked the gun which he aimed at Max.

"How the tables have turned!" Netto told him with a smug smile.

"On the contrary: this is exactly what Mr. T. predicted." He calmly replied without looking nervous.

"Whatever. Niisan! Please keep watching the guy. We're gonna go and try to find our clothes." Netto requested.

"Roger."

Netto and Enzan entered an adjacent room and found five suitcases on the ground with labels.

"MAX: BLACK"

"MAX: ALTERNATE"

"EVA"

"NETTO – KUN"

"ENZAN"

Netto opened the one which had his name on it and dressed on his typical clothing: Enzan did the same.

"Say… Maybe we could give niisan this alternate set of clothes. I think he'd like them." Netto suggested.

"Yeah. I think so, too." Enzan agreed on it.

They both came out and Netto handed Saito the suitcase.

"Thanks. Truth is… My bodysuit program has been locked down somehow and I can't dress back with it, so… I guess I'll have to put on these for the time being…" Saito blushed.

"Don't worry about it, niisan… I think it's about time your started acting more like a person instead of a Navi while in the real world."

"Yeah. And since I guess Papa finished that program, it'll be a step forward to me being able to act like a human again." Saito smiled.

He opened the suitcase and dressed with the clothes inside of it which were a pair of white boxers, jeans, a green and purple wool sweater, a pair of white socks, and orange sneakers.

He also picked a blue cap.

"You look fashionable, even." Enzan joked.

"Guess so." Saito shrugged.

"So? Where's your _Danna_?" Netto questioned Max.

"If you want a lead… Check my cell phone." Max calmly replied.

Saito picked it and browsed across the menus before finding something and looking interested.

"Oh? This is interesting." He smiled.

He showed them the screen.

"Mistert ARA anon org"

"I know those initials!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Heh! I know them, too… ARA stands for "Ameroupe Remailers Anonymous". It's one of multiple private companies which provide a "cover" mail address. Once a mail reaches this address then it's redirected to the user's true e-mail account." Saito explained with a grin on his face.

"Let's write it down." Netto suggested.

"Look: I found this." Enzan called out.

He signaled an inactive "Dimensional Converter" which had Mr. T.'s logo set on the middle of it and placed in a vertical position.

"Great! We can use that."

Saito approached the inactive "Dimensional Converter" and touched it with Netto PET's touch pen: a holographic screen popped out.

"INSERT COORDINATES FOR TRANSPORT:"

Saito punched a set of coordinates he knew from memory.

"Since none of us is on the mood to walk a lot I set it to transport us to a few meters from the Science Labs entrance." He announced to the group after punching them.

"WARNING: MAXIMUM DIMENSIONAL CONVERTER TRANSPORT CAPACITY IS THREE PEOPLE."

"Fine." Netto grinned.

Enzan tossed the gun as far he could reach and made sure Max couldn't move from his current position.

"Eva will soon be there: the shutdown of her system was set to be temporary." Saito told him.

"I'll be punished but I don't mind it. Maybe you'll be drawn here again or you'll try to lure me out to play with me again." Max grinned at them and sounded amused.

"Che. Masochist…" Netto grumbled.

"I thought you two were supposed to be like that." Max reminded them with a strange tune on his voice.

"We aren't." Saito merely replied.

"… Well… Do _not_ shoot but listen! Let us lead you safely to _our_ foe. Only you can halt what he has set in motion." Max grinned as he quoted another speech.

"Let's get out of here NOW: I'm about to go and fall for the temptation of torturing the guy." Netto pressed.

"Huh. Let's get out, then." Saito looked surprised.

"The _Great Escape_, it'd seem." Enzan joked.

The "Converter" made its typical ignition sounds and the three of them were warped out of the room

"Lies are for the weak! Beacons are for the deluded!" He proclaimed.

He heard footsteps and Eva came in while walking in a slowly erratic manner: she looked half amused and half annoyed.

"Max… You know what's coming… Don't ya?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Please punish this useless servant." He calmly replied.

"Tee, heh, heh… Good! At least I have you to play around…" She muttered.

"Yes, ma'am. Please make sure to punish me." He requested.

Eva picked him and placed him on the bed while connecting the chain to his neck and using the same stuff he'd placed on Netto.

"Good. This thing is no longer needed."

She looked eager as she took out her cloak: she wore some kind of one-piece black leather suit which ended slightly above her breasts thus making their shape stand out: she also sported large black leather gloves and black heeled boots.

She had a black 5cm strap-on filled with spots geared as well.

"My elegant form as your Mistress is something you'll never be allowed to see, servant. I hope you're ready: I'll be merciless." She announced.

She placed the anal beads into his insides and began to thrust in and out by using the strap-on: Max seemed to be enjoying the feeling given how he agitated and convulsed.

"Let's make it hotter."

She picked a candle and some matches: she used one to light the candle up and then began to drop hot wax across Max's body: Max kept on arching and convulsing.

"Yeah… Like the flames which killed countless women on Europe back when the Inquisition… "Witches"… "Heretics"… Idiots. They were just people following the traditions of the Land but which you lowlifes wanted to erase to impose your baseless religion… Religion…"

She made a pause and looked annoyed.

"Who needs it? It'll only bring wars and misery. Thus, it's something which it's unnecessary for this world…" She muttered in an icy tone of voice which seemed to hold back her rage.

She then used her heels to crush Max's balls before gripping them with her hands: Max seemed to be experiencing a climatic experience given the violence of his shaking, arching and movements.

"Tee, heh, heh. Good. This is just what I needed to shake that bad mood off me. You're a good servant, Max. I'll praise you." She muttered.

Max quickly nodded and Eva crushed his balls again.

"I want to see you arching and convulsing!"

She tossed some wax on his exposed cock's head and he convulsed as she dropped some more on his balls: she then picked a set of anal beads and began to stuff them up his ass in a slow manner.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. Good, good."

She then took her strap-on from inside of Max's ass and placed a 5cm vibrator there which she turned on at max power.

"More!"

She picked a whip and began to hit his balls while also making it land on his nipples: Max kept on convulsing and agitating.

"Struggle more!"

She continued and her eyes filled with lust as she began to pull out the anal beads in a slow and painful manner: Max couldn't stop agitating or convulsing.

"Let's end up."

She took out the plug and Max arched his body back before releasing and obviously fainting: Eva climbed down and stood up.

"Good. Now I feel better. Tee, heh, heh!"

The phone rang and she picked it up.

"Y-yeah?"

"Yo! Wanna shake?"

"… Boss." She guessed.

"Well?"

"They ran away by tricking me: Enzan pretended to be having a heart attack and Saito hit me from behind."

"Hum. Not bad. Ijuuin should act by playing Richard III. "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!"… But he should say "A new-gen PET, a new-gen PET, my IPC Inc. for a new-gen PET!"… Heh, heh, heh."

"Well… Guess so." She looked somewhat surprised.

"I hope you didn't try to drive Max too far."

"Huh! Eh… No… I tried to hold back…"

"It's not about "trying", Eva. You do or don't do it but "trying" is a rather meek thing. The "middle point", like "neutrality"… It is a rather vague thing which only applies to its own context."

"Y-yeah, I know."

"Good. As long as Max doesn't get permanent wounds or side-effects then I don't mind what you use. But don't forget: outside of your little "games", you two are _equals_. _Companions_. Am I clear enough? I hope I wasn't sounding like the "Control X" guy…"

"The "Control X" guy…? Guess Max knows about that."

"Sure does. Whatever. I was kidding. See you around. Sigaano Nogaano or so my aunt used to say when she forgot to put on her fake teeth. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The line went dead and Eva looked rather surprised.

_Boss can have weird moods, really… _

20: 01 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Good! It'd seem they have the stuff to be able to challenge me. Let's leave Max and Eva with their complicated stuff but make sure to keep Eva controlled from time to time."

"Gufuu" was floating around the usual wrecked WWW Base and Mr. T. AKA Sigaano Nogaano sounded amused.

"And they even escaped before my estimated time: you get an extra point thanks to that, "Net Saviors". But you'll need more than that if you hope to stand up to me! I shall battle in an honorific manner with all of my potential… If I lose, then I'll merely go behind the scenes and look on as you try to challenge the _triumvirate_… If I win… I'll do the same thing. I don't mind the result. To win or to lose doesn't matter to me: what I seek is to see if they can be entrusted with the safekeeping of the Network Society." He muttered aloud.

"Gufuu" then set its gaze on one spot in the ceiling close to the huge hole which allowed light inside: a small object was glowing there and didn't seem to be fluorescent paint.

"Yo. We've got company. I don't mind what you listen up, Yamikawa: that won't be enough to locate me or try to put a stop to my plans. Maybe I'll bring out the Y – Wing, X – Wing and the A – Wing fleet to keep ya busy while the _Millennium Falcon_ comes out to deliver the _coup de grace_ to your own _D Strategy_. Heh, heh, heh." He muttered.

"Gufuu" then headed outside into the frozen lake and the whole environment seemed to heat up: the ice cracked and began to melt while water rushed out across the area: some of it crept into the main room of the WWW Base and partly flooded it.

"Mordor is supposed to be hot, so… I'm being literal. And this heat may be too much for you guys to handle and you'll then migrate into Siberia: Laika will be your tour guide. Heh, heh, heh. "Net Saviors"… _Triumvirate_… Wait for the next episode! Staff Roll!" Mr. T announced in a dramatic voice.

_Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!_


	12. Chapter 11: New horizons

**Chapter 11: New horizons**

20:40 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 10th…

"… Here: the side door. This passage is a shortcut to Papa's office."

"Good. Lead the way, Indy."

"Very funny."

"Heh, heh, heh."

Netto had brought the three of them to a side door of the main Science Labs building: Enzan came up with a joke and Saito was having trouble muffling his laughter while Netto looked unimpressed.

"Fine. Follow me."

They walked across the ground floor corridors until they found the door labeled "Hikari Yuuichirou" which was partly open: the three of them headed inside and spotted Yuuichirou sitting on the chair behind his desk and speaking with someone over the phone.

"… Don't worry, Haruka. I'm sure they'll show up sooner or later. I believe in them." Yuuichirou was telling Haruka.

"I hope so…" She trailed off.

"Papa!" The twins called out.

Yuuichirou gasped and turned around to look at the three of them standing there: he tossed the phone into the desk and hugged them.

"Oh! You're alright…! Thank goodness!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry, Papa. We lowered the guard." Netto apologized.

"We're really sorry." Saito added.

"Oh? Saito! I almost hadn't recognized you: it's the first time I've seen you dressed in something else but your bodysuit." Yuuichirou looked surprised.

"That's… That Max jerk locked it down, so I had to put clothes on…" Saito admitted.

"Ah! Enzan – kun. Are you alright?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you for your concern, sir." He thanked.

"I'm so glad! You're all fine…" Haruka sounded relieved.

"Haruka: they'll be there in a little while. Can you start working on the supper? I'll be coming over, too." Yuuichirou told her.

"Tee, heh, heh. I know Yuuichirou – san will gain back those kilos he's lost from working so much." Haruka giggled.

"By the way, Papa… That program you spoke about… Did you finish it already?" Saito asked.

"Oh! Good timing. I finished it two days ago and spent yesterday and this morning debugging it: it shouldn't give any trouble." Yuuichirou admitted.

"Huh? What program?" Enzan asked.

"It's a breakthrough: a program to allow niisan to eat and drink by turning those into energy! He's one step closer to being a human again!" Netto grinned.

"Whoa. Ah! Now I remember… He told me Max and Eva used it, too, because Max is a Net Navi, too." Enzan recalled.

"… Nothing! I'm starting to feel desperate."

"Yeah. I get that feeling, too."

"Damned Mr. T."

Three voices could be heard on the corridor and they gasped: they recognized them: Blues was about to knock into the door when he gasped and ran in front of Enzan while assuming a saluting pose.

"Enzan – sama! Are you unhurt?" He asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry." Enzan replied.

"I am glad of it, sir." He replied.

"Obviously." Enzan grinned.

Blues looked at Saito and seemed to be taking in every detail of his new appearance: a broad grin formed on his face.

"My, my, my… Normal clothes suit you well, Saito." He grinned.

"Thanks for the compliment, _Buruusu_." Saito replied with a grin.

"Oh! You guys!" Laika gasped as he ran in.

"You're alright?" Search Man asked.

"Whoa. Laika. You look like you've been searching the whole city for us, even." Netto whistled in surprise.

"Of course! I couldn't sit idle!" Laika admitted.

"Well, Saito… Could you come over to the repairs lab? We can install the program and unlock your bodysuit there. But I'd rather say you'd look more fitting with normal clothing." Yuuichirou told him.

"Eh… Thanks, Papa…" Saito blushed.

They both walked out while the other three sat down in chairs while sighing in relief.

"Ah. Laika. Here." Enzan seemed to have remembered something.

He handed him a scratch of paper and Laika picked it up: he immediately looked interested.

"Mr. T's email address… You picked that off from that Max guy?" Laika guessed.

"Yeah. Could you have Search Man investigate the mail client server and find out the real address? It'd be an important lead." Enzan requested.

"Search Man: you know what to do." Laika commanded.

"Roger, Laika – sama."

Search Man departed the Link PET while Blues walked next to Enzan and stood firm.

"Relax, Blues. This ain't the military." Enzan smiled at him.

"Ah… True, Enzan – sama. I just feel like I should be doing something instead of standing here…" Blues admitted.

"There'll be plenty of time to do things in the days to come." Enzan calmly told him.

"Man. My stomach is growling. I haven't had anything since the lunch break." Netto muttered.

"Lucky me: I got a lettuce and tomato sandwich from _Subway_ before heading over there." Enzan grinned.

"Don't mention food! It only makes my stomach growl louder!" Netto protested.

"You glutton…" Enzan chuckled.

"Cut it off! What happened at the food court back when Cold Man took over the "Rare Metal" mine was silly!"

"The food court…?" Laika frowned.

"Dunno." Enzan shrugged.

"Well! At least you and Meiru – chan were able to track Allegro and corner him… I came in at the nick of time, didn't I?" Netto grinned.

"I'll admit that." Enzan admitted.

"So, Enzan… Who is that Max guy?" Laika asked.

"A Navi… And the so-called "Mistress" is a resurrected "_Devil_" Roll who goes by the ironic name of Eva. If you dunno what I mean, look up the N1 Gran Prix records: Netto & Sakurai VS Hinoken and Iroaya." Enzan summed up while repressing a yawn.

"Hum. It sounds like you were fortunate escaping their clutches." Laika lifted his eyebrows.

"Yeah. But Mr. T. had predicted it all along, it'd seem. The point of the whole affair was to prove us as "Net Saviors": would we shun our duties and be led by hatred or would we act in a rational manner?"

"I see. And they set up extreme circumstances to drive you to the limit and then see how you would react like, Enzan – sama." Blues assumed.

"Yeah. That pretty sums it up. And I doubt them moving a finger against us anymore: they completed their orders." Enzan shrugged.

"But they knew _nothing_ about the guy's identity or what he's up to: he just seems to be using them as backups in case something was to happen to his ugly hide." Netto grumbled.

Yuuichirou and Saito walked back in at that moment while talking about something.

"… Remember: you can now eat and drink and you don't need to worry about body mechanics. The whole compound is turned into cybernetic data and then treated as additional HP." Yuuichirou told him.

"I understand, Papa." Saito nodded in understanding.

"And I'd say you could go around in normal clothes, too. They fit you better than the Navi bodysuit." Yuuichirou patted his right shoulder.

"Uh… Guess so…" Saito blushed.

"You've always been somewhat timid, Saito, but I won't complain about that: that's how you are."

"Laika – sama. I have the results." Search Man reported.

"Good. Show me." Laika commanded.

"Roger."

Laika brought up the holographic screen and a new email address was drawn into it.

"Takashimiryou yahoo com"

"Damn." They all cursed.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Takashimi Ryou is a real person: but he's under police custody."

"Then…" Yuuichirou grasped.

"Mr. T. set up this account like this to fool us: I'm sure he must communicate by the phone with his agents and he instructed them to give us that address to say "gotcha"..." Netto guessed aloud.

"In short: a waste of time." Saito summed up.

"I see." Someone commented.

They looked at a nearby PC and spotted both Forte and Freeze Man being displayed on its screen.

"Sorry for not warning we were here…" Forte apologized.

"We'd heard from Search Man that you'd managed to escape." Freeze Man added.

"From me? I didn't contact you guys." Search Man frowned.

"Mr. T." Blues guessed.

"Huh… Then he wasn't kidding. He phoned me and told me he was expecting you guys to have escaped by now." Forte muttered.

"He even admitted he could be defeated." Freeze Man let out.

"That's a first." Saito lifted his eyebrows.

"Yeah. He likes to dramatize, too. He claimed being an "instrument" to the "Gods" to rule over both humans and Net Navis. He also made up some silly name… Sigaano Noganno I think…"" Forte let out.

"Another show-off…" Netto grumbled.

"We'll settle this tomorrow: we'll be fresher. Let's go home already: it's already 21:00 PM!" Yuuichirou suggested.

"Yeah. I need a sandwich and some sleep. Man. Today's been too much of a day." Enzan yawned.

"We all need a good night's rest."

"We'll be heading back. Later."

21:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… We're home!"

"Oh! Thanks goodness…"

The twins and Yuuichirou stepped into the house and took off their shoes to put on the slippers: supper was being cooked by Haruka.

"Oh! Saito. You look more like a fine man by now." Haruka teased him with a smile.

Saito blushed and looked nervous while Yuuichirou chuckled and Netto looked surprised.

"Eh… Mama… Can I help you a bit with the kitchen? I don't want to… be a burden…" He slowly requested.

"A burden…? Don't say nonsense. You're my son, too! You're not a "burden", Saito. You're too honest sometimes." Haruka told him.

"Ah… But…" Saito tried to argue.

"Saito. You're not a foreigner: you're part of the family, too. So don't be so nervous." Yuuichirou told him.

"But…" Saito didn't seem to be settled.

"No "buts": you're our son, too. Just because you spent some years living at the Science Labs, that doesn't discredit you. You've always been Netto's ani and we're glad that you can slowly become a human again."

"Ah… Well…" Saito didn't stop looking unsettled.

"Saito: I know this might be a big change. I know you're still a Navi who's slowly becoming more "human", but… For us, you've always been a human no matter what. Get it?"

"… Oh… Thank you, Papa, Mama, Netto – kun…" He looked emotional and about to cry from joy.

"See? Go have a quick shower: you need to relax. Go, go." Yuuichirou suggested.

"Eh… Yeah. I'll be back ASAP." Saito nodded in understanding.

"I'll be having a shower, too. I need it." Netto stretched.

"Netto – kun… Eh… Could I pick some of your spare clothes for the time being?" Saito asked.

"Sure! We'll go shoppin' for 'em one day." Netto encouraged.

"Thank you…" Saito looked relieved.

He climbed upstairs while being followed by Netto and entered the bedroom: he seemed to stop and look at everything with a new perspective.

"I dunno why, but… Papa's talk has made me look at things in a different manner. I used to live in this room…" Saito muttered.

"What… You were simply looking at it as my room?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I thought I was intruding, even…" Saito admitted.

"Wrong. Niisan! This is your room, too. It's _always_ been." Netto told him as he closed his arms around his stomach and leaned his head on his right shoulder.

"Netto – kun… Ah… It just feels like a big change for me, you see… I've been able to permanently live in the real world ever since July… Seven months ago… And yet… It looks like I was always here in some form or another… Odd feeling…" Saito muttered.

"Go have a shower: I'll give you my spare pajamas." Netto encouraged.

"Sorry to have to take your spare clothes…" Saito apologized.

"Don't mind it: brothers share things, too!" Netto grinned at him.

"Yeah… Thank you."

Netto opened one drawer and took out a set of brownish pajamas which he handed Saito: he picked those and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him: Netto jumped into the bed and stretched while smiling.

21:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well? Was this punishment good enough, servant?"

"Yes, Mistress… The servant shall not commit the same mistakes ever again..."

"Okay. You can quit the acting now. We're back to reality."

"Yeah. I now feel satisfied, Eva – chan."

"Heh, heh, heh. You really pick after Saito, don't you?"

Max was wearing his blue bath robe over his S&M gear: he'd adjusted it with a black belt and looked relaxed as he sat on the bed's right edge: Evan had put her black tunic back on to hide her leather suit and looked amused.

"How couldn't I?" Max shrugged.

"Yeah. By the way… What name would you use as a Net Navi?" Eva asked with a smile.

"Hum… Max EXE would be good enough, I think…" Max scratched the back of his head.

"Then I'll pick Eva EXE… Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

"Hmmm… Huh? SMS…" Max frowned before he heard a sound.

He picked his cell phone and had a look at it while lifting his eyebrows slightly.

"Boss and his quotes… Listen: "if you will not hear out the truth, then I shall show it to you… There is still time to stop the key from turning, but first it must be found… You will search one possible place… And you will search another… Fate has us meet as enemies… But this _Ring_ will make us _Brothers_." … _Halo 2_. Man. He's really turning into a _Halo_ fan by now." Max read.

"Tee, heh, heh. The _Gravemind_ can be scary: it's a gigantic 85 meters tall monster which likes being omnipresent…" Eva giggled.

"Anyway… I'm gonna go pick my pajamas. I feel better with those on anyway… And this SMS is Boss' idea of a joke."

He left the cell phone on the desk and headed over to the room with the suitcases: he opened the one labeled "MAX: BLACK" and picked a set of black pajamas: he then headed over to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"I'll go put my night gown on, too. This stuff is not comfortable enough to sleep into." Eva muttered.

She picked her suitcase and took out a purple night gown along with a greenish bath robe: Max came out while having changed into the pajamas and Eva headed inside next.

"Let's see… Tomorrow is a Saturday, so… I'll set the clock at 08:05 AM and go get the fresh bread." He muttered.

He programmed the alarm clock into his cell phone and deposited on the desk: he then climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Fua~h…"

He rolled towards the right and closed his eyes: he was soon sleeping.

"Heh. Already sleeping… Guess it's to be expected, after all…"

Eva came out of the bathroom while having changed: she left the suitcase leaning against the wall and then climbed into the bed's left side.

She grinned and took off her helmet to reveal her reddish hair which reached until the end of the neck.

"Short hair is better than horse's tail. Tee, heh, heh."

She snapped her right hand's fingers and the room's lights slowly dimmed until they turned off and the room became black: she pulled the covers over her and grinned.

"If they think this is over… They're wrong. They still have the _triumvirate_ to take care of. Tee, heh, heh. Our intriguing monsters… Enjoy… While you can… Boss will soon come up with something _cool_. Tee, heh, heh."


	13. Chapter 12: The Dark Realm

**Chapter 12: The Dark Realm**

10:33 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 12th…

"… _En un lugar de La Mancha, de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme…_"

("Somewhere in La Mancha [Castile, in central Spain], a place the name of which I do not wish to remember…")

"Sidier was _fooling_ around." A female voice commented with obvious amusement.

Sidier turned around, bewildered: he had a thick e-book on his hands.

"HUH?"

He had been sitting inside of a barely furnished stone room containing only a bed, a chair and a library: the room contained a kind of almost invisible purplish – tinted fog, giving it an ominous atmosphere: its door was open and exited into a corridor.

"Tee, heh, heh!"

There was a girl standing on the open door's threshold: she looked on her mid-teens and was about a meter and sixty tall.

She had reddish-colored hair and her eyes' irises were red: she also had a smug smile on her face.

She wore a black tunic with the lowered hood and which had a purple musical note drawn on it.

"Ah… Somari – chan… Good morning… Should've I closed the door off, perhaps?" He greeted while looking nervous.

"No need… I was just teasing ya." She told him.

"I thought you'd gone off to the Bog Temple…" Sidier admitted.

"I did. But I came back yesterday." She shrugged.

"Come on! Sidier doesn't deserve these frights! Can't you be more easy-going on him, Somari – chan?" A guy's voice asked.

A guy walked next to Somari from the left: he also looked around fifteen or sixteen years old and about her height.

He had white unkempt hair and a pattern which looked a trail of lighting painted on his right cheek, running down from below the eye, the irises of which were red too.

Two strange pendants reminiscent of an ancient culture were attached to his ears.

He wore a simple black tunic with a purple drawing set over the chest: that drawing consisted on two "S" letters with a slight inclined segment originating at the end of each one.

Both were colored purple and set parallel to each other: a small vertical rectangle was placed in the space between the start of each symbol.

"Solo. Where's your blaster? Did you forget in on the smuggling bay of the _Millennium Falcon_?" Somari joked.

"Jeez. I ain't Han Solo!" He protested.

"Eh… Can we help you in something, Somari – chan?" Sidier asked in a slightly nervous tone of voice.

"You could call Dr. Zhivago and have him tame FOXHOUND." Somari suggested.

"Tame a foxhound…?" Sidier frowned.

"No! Not a "foxhound": I mean FOXHOUND: the Special Ops group!" She corrected.

"Again with _Metal Gear Solid_…" Solo muttered.

"Tee, heh, heh. They say _MGS4_ will be coming around next year. We'll finally get to see the enigmatic _Aikokushatachi_."

"The "Patriots"…" Solo translated.

"Oh! True! Thanks for the idea, Solo… I just got a brief of inspiration: I'm gonna switch the "a – le – le" for the "ra – ri – ru – re – ro"…!"

"Crap." Both men grimly muttered.

"Hey. I'm not an S&M sadist, so… Don't look like I'm gonna have you two lovebirds play to my tune." She told them.

Both blushed and looked elsewhere while Somari didn't stop giggling aloud.

"See ya: I'm off to see _Koutei – sama_."

"Emperor – sama…" Solo grumbled.

"Whatever." She shrugged.

She headed towards the north and stopped in front of two round metallic lock doors: they unlocked and slid away: she stepped through the opening and they closed behind him.

"Man. Fantastic." Solo grumbled.

"As if her "a – le – le" practice lessons weren't hard enough, she now plans on increasing the difficulty, even… I'd say we need to go camp out at the Fortress Temple. I prefer Grave Joker DS' fists to her." Sidier slapped his helmet's forehead.

"Yeah. I prefer Rocky to her, too." Solo sighed in defeat.

"… So?"

Someone was sitting in a black onyx throne connected to ground level by three stone steps set in the middle of a room.

This room was circular in shape and had no ceiling: one could see purplish skies with clouds moving across them accompanied by some faint reddish glows which seemed to come from outside and below the room.

The room's floor was made of crimson square tiles arranged like a mosaic across it and the walls had some fluorescent patterns drawn into them.

The throne was facing the northern wall (the south had the two entry/exit doors) and such only two arms funded in black leather gloves could be seen there.

A holographic screen was displaying a close-up of Obihiro's face: he looked calm.

"Obihiro. Are we ready to begin Stage 2 of the _D Strategy_?" The person asked in manly voice which sounded like it'd just hit puberty.

"Yes, sir. Emperor S – sama." Obihiro confirmed.

"All is ready, sir." Hunter Man added.

"Good. By the way… Could any of you try to find more about that bothersome "Mr. T."?" Emperor S suggested.

"Leave it to me." Death Shadow offered.

He had popped out at Obihiro's left and was bowing.

"Ah. Death – dono. I know you're very capable of finding out useful info when you set your mindset to it." Emperor S made a welcoming gesture with his right hand.

"I shall bring it to you in a silver platter." Death gallantly announced.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah! That's a good one." He laughed.

A tune suddenly rang out on the other end of the line and the three of them seemed to frown (even though Death's face couldn't be seen) as they looked around.

"_Super Mario Bros._? I don't remember downloading that tune." Obihiro frowned.

"Your orders are being transmitted to the beautiful robot – chans. Please wait on the line." A pre-recorded female voice announced.

"Wha!" Obihiro looked surprised.

"Transfer complete. The robot – chans are now ready to go kaboom under the orders of the cute and bad boy." The voice announced next.

"What in the…" Hunter Man cursed.

"Huh… I've got control, Emperor S – sama."

"Good! Have them blow the factory up and warp them into the refuge: we'll then begin working on the third stage." Emperor S commanded.

"Roger." Obihiro confirmed.

He typed some commands into the keyboard and they heard the melody ring out again.

"The little show of destruction and ruin has begun. _Ladies and gentlemen: please fasten your seatbelts._" The pre-recorded voice requested: it even seemed to have a hint of amusement to them.

"I stake a hundred Credits that this is Mr. T.'s own handiwork: he must be fond of sarcasm." Hunter Man grumbled.

"The robot – chans are now being transferred to the beautiful and elegant hideout via DHL… Please remain on the line. The self-destruct system of the factory has come online: we shall have some nice fireworks sans the need of calling Rokushakudama – sama over to have Nenjiro – sama organize a plebeian display." The voice intoned next with some hints of sarcasm there and there.

"Oi, oi!" Emperor S sounded baffled.

"I'm confirming explosions and collapse of some of the factory's sectors, Emperor S – sama. Given its automated work, there is no – one there and there'll be no casualties. We've left some seeds hinting at the work of Choina's Secret Services." Obihiro announced.

"The display of fire and flames is progressing until its anticlimactic end amongst ruin and smoke." The voice rang out yet again and it seemed to be getting even more amused.

"This thing is stupid." Death grumbled.

"Major structural integrity loss detected… The upper floors are collapsing into the ground floors and the perimeter walls are being torn down as well, too… Some curious sheep have started to gather at a 300 meters distance from the perimeter: there's the east end of a town 700 meters from the south entrance." Obihiro reported.

"A show is not worth it when there is no plebeian public to watch on while being possessed by fear and terror. The fatty belly men will be sweating to get over there on foot and hold the crowd off with their useless and harsh voices." The voice kept on listing.

"Can't you make that thing shut up?" Emperor S grumbled with some annoyance on his voice.

"We're trying to, sir! It seems to be rooted on the line… Maybe it's onboard the spy satellite." Hunter Man replied.

"Che." Death grumbled.

"Conspiring, Saruba?" A feminine voice filled the air.

"Ah. Somari – chan. Good morning." Emperor S greeted.

"Will Yamikawa Saruba – sama bother to show his hide or do I have to have him sing "ra – ri – ru – re – ro" twenty times on a row?" Somari challenged with a grin.

"Yikes!"

The throne turned around revealing the person sitting there.

The guy sitting there appealed as being around sixteen years old and over a meter and sixty in height.

His hair was colored silver and had a messy style to it while his eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden.

He wore a simple black tunic with a shooting star emblem colored purple placed on the exact center of the tunic's torso: he sported black leather boots and black leather gloves.

A purple cape hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the feet.

"You made it longer?" He gasped.

"Yeah. I win 1 – 0." She laughed.

"Oh man."

"The pawns shall dance to the tune of the player and be slaughtered until one of them becomes the Queen: but it will keep on being a mere chess piece. It shall not be wistful for it to believe itself to be in control of everything: the player is." The voice intoned.

"That sounds like fun." Somari pointed at the screen.

"Please…" Saruba looked skeptical.

"Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

"Factory self-destruction: complete. Nothing can be salvaged from it anymore." Obihiro reported.

"The show came to its end with the Evil Club scoring 50 points against the Fool Club: the overseer will go collect its bribe. Good morning, Evil Club and beware of feet-eating-shoes." The voice concluded with obvious sarcasm.

"Tee, heh, heh. That was a good one!" Somari giggled.

"I don't see the fun on it." Saruba drily replied.

"I do not, either." Death grumbled.

"Death – sama: you can't expect your person to grasp "humor" or "sarcasm": they are too complicated for your person!" Somari called out with a grin.

"So it would seem." He calmly replied.

"So! Mr. T. wants to play "gotcha" with us… This looks like it'll be amusing, for once!" Somari looked interested.

"Quit it…" Solo grumbled as he stepped in.

"Oh? Maybe a bird will sing a little song? A song which will make it to Euro-Vision Festival?" Somari teased.

"Obihiro: keep on with the third stage's preparations. I'll contact you later on." Saruba told him.

"Yes, sir… By your orders, sir…" Obihiro gulped.

The holographic screen shut down and Saruba looked annoyed, for once: a twitch showed up above his right eye.

"Somari – chan. We've respected your privacy for almost 11 years and you now want to blow our privacy up?" Saruba questioned.

"Yeah. We want some _honest_ answers, Somari – chan." Solo added.

"What… Are you two playing court of inquiry?" She teased.

"No." Both replied.

"Tee, heh, heh. Well… I was just toying around! I'm off to composing my new song. Tee, heh, heh."

"Somari – chan… She's impossible." Saruba grimly muttered.

"Yeah… I wouldn't want anyone to learn of my affair." Solo muttered.

"… Crap. There it begins again."

Sidier was covering his ear pads as a loud sound came out from the left wall: it sounded like a guitar being badly played to produce those loud strings.

"… _And Miyabi – sama went and sucked off Hikari – sama's blood 'cause he was a reborn vampire! Miyabi – sama's quest didn't end there: all of the Chosen Ones suffered the same fate! He finally committed _seppuku_ and returned to the Vampire World to laugh at ya~!"_ Somari's voice rang out while singing.

"Man. I believe Somari – chan _has_ some sadist traits but she prefers sounds to S&M…" Sidier muttered.

"… _Tee, heh, heh! But a hundred years passed and the story repeated itself again: it was an unending vicious circle staged by Goddess Agonia: the goddess of pain and suffering! Tee, heh, heh! And then the Agonia Sisterhood gathered up all sadist women and they raped each other without end! Tee, heh, heh! Then the straight-headed high-school girls jumped into the picture and set everythin' straight before dawn crept into their dorms! Hiya~!"_ Somari kept on singing.

"Goddess Agonia… What an original name, really…" Sidier muttered with obvious sarcasm.

"… _Boom! Kaboom! The factory went up and the fatty guys thought it was the work of the pale guys! A war was about to start by shouting over the phones and then shattering them out of bad mood! Tee, heh, heh! Bring out the interpreters: they're gonna twist the thing around 270º! Jump over the fence and swim in the 40 Celsius pool in the _onsen_! I'm a genius! Bring out the _Aikokushatachi_~! They're gonna set up a fantasy scenario directed by them and filmed by Video Man: video~! The Big Shell was a drill, so let's start with the true stuff! The Hundred Years War is gonna begin when you break your neck! Tee, heh, heh! _Voilà_~!_" She finished the song with a loud piercing sound.

"I'm off!"

He ran off and down the corridor, down some steps and a through an arch which seemed to have held a door in the past but it was now gone: he got into another room.

"There, the main room…!"

The room he ended up in was round, tall and empty: a crimson-colored pulsating and glowing spheroid of energy was shooting out four beams of energy: three of them went off north, west and east through a set of three scaled circles which the fourth went through a round glass floor which allowed overhead view of a round plaza the outer edge of which had red circuitry patterns drawn there.

"Huh! I'll go complain to Yamikawa – sama once she's calmed down: I can't stand this torture anymore. And to think I've been around since October while they've been at it for almost 11 years…! I can't complain, but, really…!"

"Tee, heh, heh! Let's go~! Magnets VS Her Own Fake Hide! Fight! Fight and Not Fight!"

"What the hell is that…?" He groaned.

"Tee, heh, heh! Let's go~! Airstar VS Air-Star-One! Battle!"

"Oh come on…"

"Tee, heh, heh! Let's go~! Gauss VS Spoiled Man I am! Brawl! Brawl and Not Brawl!"

"Spoiled Man I Am… Tell that to Tesla Magnets!" He complained.

"Tee, heh, heh!"

"Somari – chan! Will you please stop?" Solo begged.

"Beg to me, Han Solo."

"Gra~h! YOU ARE A SADIST! YOU REALLY ARE~!"

"Guess so! But be glad I never liked S&M."

"BY ALL THE…! GRAH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"

He heard Solo run off and he jumped down into the room while carrying a suitcase with him.

"I'm off to the Fortress Temple NOW. Come anytime: let's hope Dia Iceburn DS isn't pestering Jack Corvus DS again either."

"Y-yeah… See you there."

"I'll send greetings to your disciple over there."

"Sure."

Solo stepped into the beam below the sphere and his body was turned into cybernetic data which then travelled outwards through the beam aiming north: Sidier sighed and stood up.

"I'm off to seeing Yamikawa – sama. I prefer a field mission involving a good fight to this. I really do. Fuck."

He ran upstairs and headed up only to find a Curzdo Virus (or a Curse Shield Virus) blocking his way: he got annoyed and kicked it only to pass through it and hit the floor: he hit his nose and rubbed it while groaning aloud.

"Damn… Hologram…! I can't stand this anymore~! Nya~rgh!"


	14. Chapter 13: Deception

**Chapter 13: Deception**

10:58 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 12th…

"… Sidier! Are you alright? What happened?"

"Yamikawa – sama… It was a torture, sir…!"

"What!"

Sidier collapsed on his fours after stepping into the throne room: his ear pads had cracks on them, even.

"Somari – chan played another of those hellish songs loud to cause you hearing problems?" Saruba asked as he ran down from the throne and helped him stand up.

"Yes, sir… Please, sir… Grant me a mission…! I need to blow up something, sir…! I can't hold it back, sir…!" Sidier groaned.

"Hmmm… Then… There's something I've wanted to do for a while but I wanted to pick the right moment… Listen: do you know about the Firewall Laboratory?"

"Y-yes, sir… The "Synchronizer" was hidden there when the "Zoanoroid" Invasion but he was found out… A battle ensued and… Some of the Net Saviors were sucked into "Beyondard"…" Sidier straightened himself and fixed his ear pads.

"Good. Pick you three "recruits" and then head over there: I'll give you a special program and some Viruses, too. You need to get your hands on the Hyper – Magnetron schematics: it's a device capable of forcing vulgar "Copy Roids" to self-destruct and it was designed to use against the "Zoanoroids". If we research on how to perfect the "Copy Roids", we could give them over to PMCs and use them as a new warfare tool."

"R-roger… I'll go with the transfer system… Count on me, Yamikawa – sama." Sidier saluted.

"Excellent." Saruba grinned.

"Grah… My poor ear-pads…! Man…!"

11:08 AM (Japan Time)…

"… That Mr. T… We have no hints of what he's doing?"

"No, sir. We don't."

"Che."

"Obviously…"

Kifune, Laika, Netto, Saito (sporting normal clothes: a blue vest over a white shirt, jeans and white socks and sneakers) and Yuuichirou were conducting a meeting.

"Max phoned me, even. But he only wants to play "phone battles" and didn't know anything. Given how I drive him crazy, he's surely being honest with me." Netto sighed.

"Yeah. He likes playing "teasing rival"." Saito grumbled.

"Hmpf." Blues didn't look amused.

"Fix that face." Enzan dully told him.

"Yes, sir… Enzan – sama." He quickly saluted.

"We tried searching for anything unusual, but… The only thing we've found is that the _triumvirate_ was up to something with a Dark Land factory which blew up barely an hour ago…" Laika added.

"It'd seem there's some backstabbing being carried out." Search Man summarized.

"Sorry for the delay." Miyabi announced as he came in and sat down on one chair.

"We were checking the status of that factory… But nothing is salvageable and no – one really knew what they were supposed to be producing. But I could bet, I'd say those guys were using them to produce new Thanatos robots: they must want to sell them to the highest bidder and get rich in exchange." Shadow Man explained.

"Fantastic!" Netto grumbled.

The alarms of the facility rang off and everyone looked surprised.

"They've found Trill…?" Netto muttered.

"Netto – kun. That was over a year ago… There aren't any "Zoanoroids" left anymore and Trill is in "Beyondard" with Iris." Saito reminded him.

"Problems! Some kind of Time Space anomaly has formed next to the storage building!" One technician ran in.

"Good! Some action: I needed it." Enzan quickly stood up and sounded glad of it, for once.

"Yeah. I was tired of sitting idle, too!" Laika grinned.

"_Rock 'n roll_!" Netto exclaimed.

"Time to bust some lowlifes, it'd seem." Miyabi looked amused.

Saito shrugged and dematerialized to return into his Link PET: he quickly engaged a program and his bodysuit formed over his clothes as if he was undergoing Cross Fusion: he also put the helmet on and secured it before nodding to Netto.

"Let's go!" He rallied.

The group ran into the adjacent room and aimed the Link PETs at one of the computers' IR ports.

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE!"

"Plug In! Shadow Man!"

"Plug In! Search Man!"

"Plug In! Blues!"

"TRANSMISSION!"

The four Navis entered the system: they stood in front of the building protected by the firewall and they looked in front of them: a purple spinning gateway had formed and there was another of those bubbles with a lance inside: four figures cloaked in black came out and faced them.

"Hand over the Hyper – Magnetron." One of them demanded.

"And what if we say "no"?" Rock Man asked.

"Then the Infinite _Naraku_ will kill you guys." The lead figure replied.

"Sidier…" Rock Man muttered while narrowing his eyes.

The first figure threw the cloak into the air.

"Yeah. It's been a while." He grinned.

A horde of "Bestialized Viruses" appeared behind Sidier and the figures.

"An army of "Bestialized Viruses"…!" Blues exclaimed.

"This is starting to look like the Greiga Army's and the Falzer Army's double attack to get their hands on Trill…!" Search Man cursed.

"I wasn't there but I can guess it was painful." Shadow Man commented.

"Commence the attack!" Sidier ordered.

The other three figures discarded their cloaks, actually surprising the fighters.

"What the…? There's another Search Man, another Devil Roll and another Zero!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"What!" All gasped.

"I am Duplicate Search Man. Your possibilities of winning currently clock at 20.5%."

This Search Man was colored crimson and his hair was black.

He had some purple patterns around his arms, legs, and chest: his emblem had been replaced by the _numa _(bog) _Kanji_ colored blood red.

His voice sounded colder than the original one's.

"I am Duplicate Zero. No firewall has stopped me before. So don't expect yours to halt me either."

This guy, Zero's, design, was rather original.

His main body color was black and his height was about the meter and eighty mark.

To begin with, his head had a large sapphire-colored dome encompassing it as seen from above: some kind of partial facial protection was built on the front: it was a pair of equally reddish "wings" extending NW and NE followed by two thin parallel fang-like ends running down the sides of the face: where the ear-pads would be at, the _yousai_ (fortress) _Kanji_ colored silver was set there: it was drawn over a black background.

His eyes didn't have pupils to them and their irises were a threatening purplish color his face's "skin" was metallic in color and he did have a small nose yet his mouth was but a line drawn across it forming a trapeze in the center of the face: it didn't look like it could open and a "breathing" sound was emitted from inside of its cavity: it had an eerie feeling to it and seemed to cool the air .

His upper body had partial chest armor colored purple over his blackened "skin" and looked more like a vest than armor there was an inverted trapeze-shaped opening exposing the base of the neck and the center of the upper chest followed by two round openings in the middle of the chest: the armor ended by drawing a trapeze on its lower edge exposing the "skin" of the waistline: it did form a curve to protect the sides and read parts of the neck too with three small horizontal slits set in a column on the front parts of the neck protection.

The armor over his shoulders appealed as being knives while seen from the front: they had a thin metallic outer edge and the main color on them was purple: they were thick and looked strong.

His arms' skin was black in color too while his hands were covered in the usual white "latex" most Navis had: two armlets were attached over the section of his arms extending from the elbows to the top of his hands: each one had a mainly cylindrical form with purple and black armor: the black armor was built of a stripped cylinder with the red armor over it: two circular bands kept it on place looping around the elbow and the wrist: the upper part had a diamond-shaped piece over the elbow plus a small sapphire over his hands.

There was a gap around the stomach area which was unshielded in the form of a cross: a pair of white "pants" began on the lower part of that gap and extended until the knees: these "pants" didn't cover the outwards-facing sides of his legs.

His knees had diamond-shaped pieces of armor with a thin vertical stripe across their center protecting them before the boots began: they were rather plain except for a set of three black bands slightly over the ankles of each foot: the thin soils of the boots were also colored black.

Last of all he had a mass of white hair spreading from behind his helmet and stopping inches from his ground: this hair spread open as a cape and ended in six pyramidal gaps between each end.

His right forearm currently held a sword-like weapon which had intricate circuitry-like patterns drawn over its surface: its hilt, which began on the wrist and then formed a needle, was gray in color, while the blade was made of energy and colored purple.

Overall, the Navi looked tall, threatening, and unique.

His voice sounded deep and imposing.

"I am Duplicate Roll. I shall teach you arrogant men that we women also have rights."

This second "Devil Roll" was painted gray and her ribbons were of a reddish color.

Some golden-colored patterns travelled across her forearms and boots.

Her wrists and ankles had bluish circles drawn into them.

Her emblem had been replaced by the _senshi_ (warrior) _Kanji_ colored bronze.

Her voice had a tune of evil to it and didn't sound much different from Eva's.

"W-where did those three come out from? What's more! You actually rebuilt Zero?" Netto demanded.

"Oh… True. It was a little idea of mine: copy or rebuild three normal Net Navis and expose them to our atmosphere without protection but always making sure they could recharge HP: they eventually found out that if they absorbed its data, their bodies' structure would slowly change and adapt itself until they became just like the Tribe Members: they then picked a Temple to stay at each one and gladly get along with their companions. Given how the idea was mine, Emperor S – sama granted me command of them. Name them Search Man DS, Zero DS and Roll DS." Sidier explained with a broad grin.

"We'll soon see who has a faster Scope Gun, Original." Search Man DS challenged the original Search Man.

"I've heard that there's another spin-off out there… Whatever. I'll teach that Original about the harsh truth hidden behind the curtain." Roll DS muttered while making a smug smile.

"My Original is dead: he died one year ago after trying to get rid of his copy. But I don't care: I'll pick the swordsman as my opponent." Zero DS muttered.

"Rock Man. You and I are still sworn foes, in case you'd forgotten." Sidier pointed his right hand's middle finger at him.

"How could I?" Rock Man coolly shot back.

"Yeah. That mood is the one I wanted to see… We're gonna run over your helmet today." Sidier looked amused.

"That guy's nuts…" Netto grumbled.

"That's enough talking! Go! Strategy _Gamma_!" Sidier commanded.

"Dark Scope Gun!"

"Ha~h!"

"Dark Aqua Tower!"

Duplicate Search Man opened fire with a black beam which hit the firewall: a purplish substance got attached there.

The substance came out of a small spheroid with eight legs to support its body there.

"Huh?" Rock Man wondered.

Duplicate Zero moved his saber in various angles while shooting out energy slices.

"What?" Blues wondered.

Duplicate Roll put her right palm on the ground and a black-colored Aqua Tower moved forward.

"Huh?" Shadow Man was surprised.

Sidier merely stood there and folded his arms.

"What?" Search Man gasped as he looked at the firewall.

"He aimed for it on purpose?" Laika wondered.

"Huh! And the Aqua Tower missed me, too… It's headed for the firewall, too!" Shadow Man reported.

"Weird." Miyabi frowned.

"That guy's attacks shot over me and are heading towards it, too!" Blues reported next.

"Is that a strategy?" Enzan frowned.

"And Sidier isn't even moving." Rock Man muttered.

"He must wanna laugh." Netto guessed.

The purplish mass absorbed the attacks and grew larger: the mass formed some kind of tentacles which lurched towards the "Bestialized Viruses": they were grabbed and used as objects to hit the firewall: everyone gasped as the hits became more violent: each used Virus was deleted by the blows.

"Strategy _Gamma_: 2nd stage." Sidier calmly announced.

"What the hell is that?" Shadow Man demanded.

"… It seems to be some kind of shape-shifting program which is using the "Bestialized Viruses" as tools to break the firewall. Its power, however, is downgraded." The original Search Man reported.

"Downgraded…?" Blues wondered.

"Oh. True. The only handicap to us comin' out of the Dark Realm: we need to spend 10% of our power keeping our "Transition Program" functioning, alas." Sidier admitted.

"Damn. Even back in December, he was fighting at 90% power…! I don't wanna see 'im at 100%: we'd be dead!" Netto grimly muttered.

"Ah. You're starting to catch up, Hikari. Emperor S – sama will be amused, I daresay." Sidier sounded amused.

"This is getting ugly. Their goal is to break the firewall and not fight us, it'd seem!" Shadow Man cursed.

The mass grew larger and more tentacles formed while gripping the "Bestialized Viruses" and hitting the firewall with several of them at the same time: the four intruders merely watched the movement of the thing while the four defenders stood still.

"Coming." Sidier grinned.

The attacks increased in force and intensity: the firewall shattered in multiple spots and the castle-like building's walls were torn by the tentacles searching inside.

"What do you hope to find there?" Rock Man demanded.

"Don't try playing innocent, "Net Saviors". We know what you guys have been hiding here." Sidier replied.

One of the tentacles came out and threw a data cube across the air: Sidier calmly caught it with his right hand and looked its label.

"HYPER MAGNETRON SCHEMATICS: TOP SECRET. DO NOT ACCESS WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION"

"Heh, heh, heh." He chuckled.

"The Hyper Magnetron…? But that's stored at the Science Labs… Who put that there?" Yuuichirou frowned.

"There's no need to pretend, Hikari – hakase. Emperor S – sama knows a lot of things." Sidier grinned.

He inputted some commands and engaged the cube but a holographic screen displaying the "Eye" popped out instead of schematics.

"What! The "Eye"!" He gasped.

"I have beaten fleets of thousands! I have consumed a galaxy of flesh and mind and bone!" A deep and scary voice proclaimed from inside of the data cube.

"That _Halo 2_ Game again…?" Miyabi wondered.

"No. I've played it. That quote didn't show up there." Meijin admitted as he popped his head next to Miyabi.

"Isn't there a sequel?" Netto asked.

"It ain't coming out until September." Meijin replied.

"Maybe Mr. T. hacked into the studio and picked it off?" Rock Man suggested while lifting the right eyebrow.

"Somehow that wouldn't surprise me." Blues muttered.

"Do I take life or give it? Who is victim, and who is foe?" The voice asked to no one in particular.

"Dunno. The _Naraku_'s hosts may be able to tell you lowlife." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Not again…! Shadow Man! Quit it already, will you! You're driving me nervous!" Miyabi slapped his forehead in defeat.

"Resignation is my virtue! Like water… I ebb… And flow… Defeat is simply… the addition of time to a sentence I never deserved… But _you imposed_…" The voice kept on chanting.

"We never imposed any sentences." Laika lifted his eyebrows.

"Well… Maybe… Maybe he means that it's pointless to defeat him: he'll be back?" Yuuichirou tried to guess.

"That sounds more like it." Netto agreed on it.

"From end to end of this galaxy, most are blinded!" The voice kept on proclaiming.

"Blinded… By faith, foolishness or stupidity, he means?" Enzan muttered aloud.

"So they say." Blues calmly commented.

"Side by side, we march as one. Humans and Net Navis will perish. Earth will fall swift and quickly. And so forth shall of life." The voice dully announced.

"That reminds me of Duo, even." Saito grimly muttered.

"Yeah. Too much." Netto grimly muttered as well.

"Do you think me _defeated_?" The voice asked to no one in particular.

"Che! We were fooled from the very start, then…! Let's go back! We're wasting our time here!" Sidier growled.

"Roger." The three Navis confirmed.

"Come back, Prototype!" Sidier commanded.

The tentacles deleted and the mass returned inside of the spheroid which jumped across the air and landed at Search Man DS' feet: he picked it up and attached it to his belt.

"Farewell!"

The four of them ran inside of the bubble: their bodies shone with a golden color for some seconds and they quickly jumped into the gateway (which had changed into a bubble shape with a grayish mass set on the middle of it) as Sidier tore the lance off the ground and took it with him on his escape from the area: the gateway vanished as well.

"Whoa."

The cube fell into the ground and some maniacal laughter came out before it self-deleted.

"It'd seem this was pre-recorded and stored there for the _triumvirate_ to find…" Yuuichirou muttered.

"Hum. So Mr. T. likes to show how he can pull the strings of anyone with the appropriate bait." Kifune muttered.

"… Please punish me, Emperor S – sama! I failed the mission and I was fooled by the enemy!"

"We all repent!"

Sidier and his warriors were kneeling in front of Saruba's throne: he looked taken aback at their behavior.

"Oi, oi! What happened out there? I could hear a creepy voice chanting weird stuff but…" Saruba frowned.

"Mr. T. set us up: there never were any schematics there, sir! He wanted to laugh at our faces, sir!" Saruba reported.

"Damn. And there I got fooled by the guy…!" Saruba growled.

The four of them stood silent as if waiting for a scolding: Saruba grumbled something under his breath and then waved his right hand towards the south door as if to indicate for them to leave.

"Roger!"

They stood up and ran out while Saruba walked down from the throne and began to punch a _kendo_ dummy placed nearby.

"Me! Fooled! Me! Why, you…! I won't let you get away with it, Mr. T.! I'll destroy you! Sigaano Nogaano, Sauron, Gufuu, Mr.T… Whatever name you use! Gra~rgh!" He roared.

He kicked the dummy's face with his right foot and made it fall off and roll across the ground as he panted and looked furious.

_My anger shall be terrible~! Stick out your neck: I'll cut it off! Damn you~!_


	15. Chapter 14: Visions

**Chapter 14: Visions**

19:02 PM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 12th…

"… We're home!"

Netto and Saito entered their house.

"Welcome! Supper is almost ready." Haruka welcomed.

"Hmmm! I smell delicious soup ahead." Netto grinned.

"Wow. My stomach is grumbling, even…" Saito blushed.

"Heh, heh! It'd seem Papa tuned it very well!" Netto teased.

"Jeez. Netto – kun…" Saito rolled his eyes.

"Go have a shower: it'll do you fine!" Haruka suggested.

"_Hai~_!"

Both climbed upstairs and Netto began to prepare his middle school uniform for the upcoming week: Saito stretched and picked his pajamas from under the cushion.

"O. K. I'm going in first. I'll be fast." He told Netto.

"Sure. I'll be finishing packing up, anyway." Netto smiled.

Saito headed inside of the bathroom and shut the door while Netto hummed a tune: his Link PET rang and he looked up with an annoyed look to his face.

"I knew who'd call me at such an hour…" He grumbled.

He picked it up and patched the call in: a close-up of some hair could be seen: he frowned.

"What?" He wondered.

"Yo! Ready for a shakedown? _Little brother_?" A familiar voice asked in a challenging manner.

"No way…" Netto groaned.

The camera lowered to reveal Raoul's close-up face: he had the _afro_ disguise on together with those star-shaped sunglasses: Thunder Man was standing on his shoulder and looking defeated.

"Raoul… When will you quit that show?" Netto asked with obvious defeatism on his voice.

"_Oh yeah_! _A~nd…_! _Start_! Let's shake 'em all 'long the tiled floor 'till dawn creeps into the Wiseman's Hall with the Magic Mirror! Blow it up into shards! _Oh yeah_! Struggle against Raoul Ou – sama: you newbie stand _zero_ chances against me!" He chanted as he began to dance.

"Netto – kun: I'm done. Huh? Is that…?" Saito came out while having changed into the pajamas and looked over Netto's right shoulder.

"Oh! _Big brother_ came out! _Rock 'n roll_ 'till the owls go back to their tree-nests and bees fly over Ottawa!" Raoul greeted.

"The guy needs a hammer." Thunder Man whispered.

"To straighten him out, you mean?" Saito whispered back.

"Yeah! I wish someone would do that."

"_What_! Thunder Man! Plottin' at my back, are ya?" Raoul questioned.

"Raoul! What happened to rounding up the "Dark Chips"?" Thunder Man growled.

"There aren't any left in Heaven's Town!" Raoul shrugged.

"Yeah… Max admitted he stopped handing out "Dark Chips" because Mr. T. used them as incentive to draw us in." Netto muttered.

"Ahem, ahem! Anyway… _Continue_! Fly across the skies and crash against the Empire State Building! _Oh yeah_! Lift it up by the shirt's neck and have it drink a good Coca – Cola! Go to _Subway_ and get a vegetarian sandwich to kill the hunger!" Raoul chanted next while making some dramatic and somewhat ridiculous poses.

"Snap outta it! Someone come and hit this guy on the head with a hammer: I can't take it anymore!" Thunder Man growled.

"I'll go have a shower… Try to deal with the guy." Netto sighed as he stood up and handed Saito the Link PET.

"Uh-huh… Gotcha…" Saito nodded in understanding.

"Make sure to show chest while showering: the girls will chase you en masse and will wanna marry ya!" Raoul announced.

Both twins blushed and turned red while Raoul laughed aloud in a victorious tone.

"Sorry! Forgot ya two are very humble… But maybe you'll draw them in by doing nothing else but standing there on the sunlight or going off to the beach to show off body!" Raoul laughed.

"To the beach…? In February…? Do you want them to get ill or something like that, Raoul?" Thunder Man growled.

"_Oh yeah_! Introducing Masked Thunder!" Raoul announced.

"No way! Stop!" Thunder Man gasped.

"_Go! _Masked Thunder!" Raoul lifted his right arm towards the ceiling in a dramatic manner.

He suddenly lowered it, picked the Link PET (in front of him) and inputted some commands: the Masked Thunder disguise was equipped into Thunder Man so he slapped his face in defeat and Saito looked rather surprised.

"_Oh yeah_! Let's fry 'em up with 1,000,000 DC Volts! They'll end up like _punks_ and will not stop 'till dawn turns their bodies into stone like trolls or orcs! There's gonna be a flood of battles!" Raoul laughed.

"Raoul…!" Thunder Man growled.

"Raoul _Ou – sama_!" He corrected.

"Man. This is crazy. I know it." Thunder Man looked depressed.

"Eh… Raoul – san…" Saito called out.

"I gotta handle the newbie guys! See ya!"

The line went dead and Saito was left there: he blinked several times and scratched the back of his head.

"Yo! Niisan! Did you manage to stop Raoul?" Netto asked as he came out while drying his hair with a towel and having put on his usual bluish pajamas.

"No. He said he was gonna go handle the newbie guys. But he was about to fry them with 1,000,000 DC Volts." Saito grimly muttered.

"W-whoa! That must be like being hit by a thunder!" Netto gasped.

"Worse: being hit by a high-voltage electrical wire." Saito corrected.

"Supper's ready~!" Haruka called out.

"Raoul is Raoul… Let's go have supper." Netto shrugged.

"Yeah. We need to go sleep early for tomorrow." Saito sighed.

He deposited the Link PET on the desk and they then walked downstairs into the kitchen: they sat around the table and looked at the served soup dishes: Netto's mouth began to water while Saito was looking at it and seemingly smelling it up.

"Well then… _Itadakimasu_!" Haruka told them.

"_Itadakimasu_~!"

Netto began to drink the soup at a quick pace while Saito took it each spoonful and slowly savored it: he looked surprised by the new experience and Haruka looked amused.

"Whoa. Delicious…!" He gasped after he finished it.

"Heh, heh, heh! Mama's soup is the best!" Netto grinned.

"Soup is energetic! I'm sure that if you look energetic, Roll – chan will look at you as a handsome boy!" Haruka teased.

Saito blushed and looked nervous while Netto was hardly muffling his laughter back at the scene: Saito could get very nervous when being teased.

20:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Sorry to have to bother you like this, otouto…"

"Niisan… You don't "bother": it's natural!"

"G-guess so, but…"

Saito was sharing the bed with Netto and crawling to leave more room for Netto: he looked nervous while Netto was seemingly comforting him.

"One day we'll get a _futon_ or a new bed. But you can share my bed anytime! I like feeling you close: it comforts me, in truth." Netto told him as he reached towards him.

"R-really…? Then… I'll try to comfort you, otouto… You feel insecure from time to time, maybe?" Saito asked him.

"Not exactly… I feel like I could have some company." Netto admitted with a smile.

He pressed his forehead against Saito's: he blushed and looked surprised at being so close.

"Netto – kun?" He asked.

"Here! We were like this before being born, like? I think it's natural to try to get back to that form." Netto told him.

He clasped his hands and interconnected his toe fingers with his: Saito blushed more and looked nervous.

"Eh… But…" He muttered.

"Don't worry! Let's go sleep: it's late." Netto patted his back.

"Uh… Yeah… Good night, otouto." Saito nodded in understanding.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep while Netto turned to be face-up on the bed and grinned.

"Well! New week! New thrill!" He muttered.

_Heh, heh, heh!_

… _Huh? What happened? Where am I? Am I dreaming?_

Netto could see a gigantic planet gaseous floating in space but he felt like he was weightless: there was no solid attachment to anything and it looked like he was moving forward at a great speed.

_How did I end up in Jupiter of all places?_

But he spotted something else: a gigantic ring orbiting the planet which was obviously artificial.

_That's not Jupiter!_

He felt how he was being pushed towards the ring: the inner band was covered in seas and continents and even had an atmosphere.

_Whoa! Incredible!_

He suddenly blacked out, and when he regained consciousness, he was standing in some sort of stone room illuminated by several lights and which had a signal-like shape, with a connecting arm and a circle with a hole on the middle of it: his gaze was fixated ahead and his body didn't seem to accept any commands to shift position.

_Huh? How odd._

There was a gigantic hologram representing the ring spinning around the platform in which he was: a holographic spheroid floated in the air in front of him and there was some sort of control panel in front of him.

"Please insert the _Index_. _Reclaimer._" A robotic-sounding voice with a strange tune and a metallic echo requested.

_What Index? What Reclaimer? What does that voice mean?_

"Hurry it up, please. The sooner we act, the sooner we can avoid a galaxy-wide crisis." The voice kept on saying in an urgent tone.

_What am I doing here? This sounds like a sci-fi movie!_

His body moved and he inserted a metallic object shaped like the Alphabet letter T into the panel: it had a green glow.

"Charge sequence initiated." The voice announced.

A gigantic white beam travelled the whole height of the room: Netto felt an instinct which told him to move away, but he couldn't: He wanted to close his eyes, but was unable to: his gaze was locked into that.

_Why won't my body obey? What's going on?_

"Charging sequence is complete and the firing sequence is underway. All other Installations will follow after this one." The voice reported in a calm tone like if it was something which was done every single day.

_What other Installations? There are more of these rings?_

Netto now saw how a sphere of energy was focusing on the center of the ring: a small beam of light shot upwards from the ring's surface and hit it: the sphere seemed to detonate and large white shining shockwave expanded from it before vanishing.

_What was… that…?_

Netto felt how something was attacking his body and that he was falling into the abyss of unconsciousness.

_Hikari Netto! Because you are "Light", you triggered the Light which is now wiping out of life your entire galaxy. With it barren, I shall reseed it and I shall rule over all of it… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! _A voice proclaimed.

"… NO~!" Netto yelled.

"Netto – kun! Calm down!"

Netto sat up on the bed: his eyes showed pure shock and his right hand clutching his chest.

"I didn't want to! My body was being forced to! I just didn't destroy all life in the Milky Way! I didn't! I didn't want to! I'd been turned into a puppet of someone! No, no AND NO! I didn't do that!" He yelled in a hysterical manner.

"Please calm down, otouto!"

Netto panted heavily and then noticed an arm around his shoulders: Saito was sitting up at his right and he looked concerned.

"Niisan… Oh… Thank goodness… It was a nightmare…!"

Netto hugged him: he sobbed and leant his head over Saito's right shoulder.

"But… We destroyed the chip implant from the inside! It's impossible to use it anymore!" Saito argued.

"I knew that! But it looked so realistic…!" Netto cried.

"Success." A voice rang out.

Both gasped and looked at the PC's screen: the "Eye" was being displayed over its screen.

"Mr. T.! You…!" Saito hissed.

"It was you lowlife's work!" Netto hissed.

"Yeah. Another little experiment: to see if you'd really repent from something with terrible consequences or you'd try to blame it on something else." Mr. T. replied.

"People's minds aren't to be toyed with!" Saito yelled.

"Ah. But I just wanted to be strict. _Aibou_ said that you've gotta be serious when testing a person's sense of guilt or else you will be stabbed on your back when you less expect it."

"You used our "link", didn't you?" Netto growled.

"Yeah. And I admit I ripped the scenery off _Halo: Combat Evolved_ although I added my own little touches." Mr. T. admitted.

"Copycat…" Saito grumbled.

"Ah… Maybe you'd switch moods if I say "burn their mongrel hides!"?" He suggested.

"That's what I'm gonna do to you!" Netto hissed.

"Or rather… "And so, you must be silenced!"?" Mr. T. suggested next while sounding like he was shrugging.

"Get out _our_ home and _our_ privacy!" Saito told him.

"Sure. I was gonna leave even if you didn't tell me, Rock Man. I'm a busy person. Bye-bye." Mr. T. shrugged.

The "Eye" vanished from the PC screen and it shut down: Netto closed his eyes and began to slowly articulate his fingers to touch his palm: he continued by articulating the wrist and elbow before reaching the shoulder: his earlier tension seemed to vent off.

"Maha's exercises… They're useful, aren't they?" He muttered.

"Yeah. Let's go back to sleep: I guess we're gonna have to consider this guy to be serious about making sure we won't stray off our road of "duty" and into the "evil" road." Saito suggested.

His eyes suddenly lost consciousness to them and looked devoid of intelligence and his lips began to move while muttering something, to Netto's fright.

"_And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master. The path ahead is fraught with peril. But I will do all I can to keep it stable – keep you safe. I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins. One life hardly balances millions. But I would have my masters know that I have changed. And you shall be my example._" He announced in a sad and repented voice.

Netto looked horrified before Saito seemed to snap outta that.

"Huh…? Huh… Some kind of retarded activation program which controlled my speech centers… But it's self-deleted… Let's go sleep." He muttered when realizing what it'd been.

"Y-yeah… Good night, Saito – niisan."

"Good night, Netto – kun. Otouto."

Both hugged each other and fell asleep soon enough while looking tired.

22:22 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Gufuu" was sitting on a boulder which had fallen from the cavern ceiling in the abandoned WWW base: he looked amused.

"Another lil success… Heh, heh, heh. I guess they must be struggling with their temptations by now. Well. Let them fight and see what the result is: if they want to tackle the _triumvirate_ then they're going to need a strong resolve and union…"

"There you are!"

"Ah. Yamikawa."

Saruba had suddenly appeared in the room while carrying a Samurai Sword Battle Chip on his hand: "Gufuu" made an elegant reverence and began to float into the air.

"Come down here and fight me!" Saruba challenged.

"Not yet: ask Death Shadow about what it feels to be hit with my full unleashed potential." He replied.

"Fight me!"

"Ah. _Aibou_… So ya finally showed up!"

"What!"

Saruba looked at the entrance but "Gufuu" made a smirk and vanished into nothingness: Saruba realized that and formed a grimace while his eyes displayed hatred.

"YOU BASTARD!" He roared.

Growling under his breath, he de-materialized and entered a computer where one of those domes surrounding a Time Space bubble was at: he stepped inside and his body glowed as he approached the bubble.

_I'll remember this, you savage! Nobody laughs at me or makes a clown outta me~! I'll destroy you by my own hands! Get ready, you rascal!_


	16. Chapter 15: The Great Journey

**Chapter 15: The "Great Journey"**

08:49 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th…

"… Good morning… Man! I shouldn't have stayed up late going over that film…"

"Obihiro. I have new information."

"Yeah? Ya found out what the ugly "Eye" is up to?"

"More or less…"

Obihiro walked into the main room while yawning and drinking a cup of cold water: Death was working with the PC using his left hand to slowly type into its keyboard.

"Death… Isn't that too painfully slow for you? Why don't you work from the Cyber World?"

"I have patience." Death merely replied.

"Guess so, if ya had to wait a decade for someone to drop by that forsaken planet ya were stranded at… Anyway… What did the guy do this time? He sent us another joke?" Obihiro sarcastically replied.

"No. It is not aimed at us: it is aimed at the general populace. Have a look at this website: www the-dread-of-t com." Death calmly announced.

"The dread of T… _T no osoroshii_, then…? Hmmm…" Obihiro automatically translated the name.

He looked at the screen and gasped: a full-size video of Sauron could be seen playing as in the _Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring_ movie prologue: he was swinging his mace and knocking out anything on his path with brute force: there was a countdown clock set beneath it which was slowly ticking down.

03 D 15 H 22 M 33 S FOR MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

"HUH? What the heck is this? It's some propaganda attempt or a large-scale prank?" Obihiro asked while looking bewildered.

"I do not know. Once you access it, this video plays out and ends with a close-up of the "Eye". It is set to play in an infinite loop as in a _flash_ animation… And there is nothing more." Death explained.

"I tried dissecting it: there was nothing of importance anywhere on its coding." Hunter Man added.

"Guess the guy is being serious, then… But let's keep work on the _D Strategy_: today is the day we're gonna test the would-be-customers: they're going to have to use their _drones_ to shoot targets placed in the middle of Alaska: there'll be a snowstorm and both radar and IR are forbidden: only sight can be used." Obihiro grinned.

"And the one who scores the highest will get _a few_ units: we will save the others for our use."

"_D Strategy_: 3rd Stage! Let's go!" Hunter Man grinned.

"… So! Mr. T set up a website dedicated to Sauron and it has a countdown?"

"Yeah. Have a look, otouto."

Netto was having the morning break at his school when Saito reported the news to him: he opened a holographic screen to let him see:

03 D 11 H 55 M 48 S FOR MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

"Now's a bit past eleven in the morning, so… It started at eight o'clock, yesterday evening…" Saito told him.

"And it will end on a midnight, then." Netto quickly calculated.

"I don't think it's something as dramatic and deadly as the "Countdown to Annihilation" from Duo's Comet…"

"Don't make me think of that, please. Enough shock it gave me and the rest of us." Netto requested, feeling a shiver go down his spine.

"Sorry, otouto." Saito looked worried.

"No. You're not to blame."

Netto's Link PET made a sound so he picked it up.

"Wouldn't you know? I got a mail." Netto announced.

"From who is it?" Saito asked.

"Let's see… "Thomas Torrino"..." Netto read.

"It must be spam." Saito warned.

"I'm gonna delete it."

Netto selected the message and pressed the button 'DELETE': however, instead of the usual confirmation window, a mass of text appeared.

"WHEN THE MASTER PLAN IS DEPLOYED, YOU SHALL REMEMBER THAT HISTORY DOES REPEAT ITSELF. WHAT ONE MAN COULD NOT ACCOMPLISH, I CAN ACCOMPLISH. ARROGANCE LED TO HIS DEFEAT, BUT I KNOW BETTER. BEWARE. THE GREAT JOURNERY WILL LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. YOU SHALL PASS INTO THE DIVINE BEYOND AND JOIN YOUR FOREFATHERS IN THERE. THOMAS TORRINO."

"What the hell?" Netto scowled.

"What happened?" Saito asked.

"Have a look." Netto grumbled.

Saito entered his PET and read the message: he looked surprised and confused.

"What _Great Journey_? What divine beyond? What forefathers? This doesn't make any sense!" He muttered.

"And who the hell is this "Thomas Torrino"?" Netto wondered.

"Wait… Torrino is an Italian surname… And the logo resembles a Roman column… Could it be T's name?" Saito ventured.

"Take it to the Net Police for analysis." Netto suggested.

"Roger!"

"Take care!"

11:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Eva - chan? Are you in there?"

"What's up, Max?"

Eva, wearing a black blouse and a knee-long purple skirt, came out of a room: se also wore knee-high plastic boots and black leather gloves.

Max, who was wearing his usual black outfit, showed her the same text.

"It came in an email from someone named "Thomas Torrino". Can you get any sense out of it?" Max asked of her.

"Lemme see." Evan requested.

Eva picked the PET and read the whole text, frowning.

"No. It looks like a riddle to me." She told Max as she handed the Link PET back at him.

"I tried to see the address of the sender and see what I got."

He showed her a piece of paper with an address written there.

"thomastorrino ARA anon org"

"What? This guy's also registered in the ARA? Boss is using another front to hide?" Eva suggested.

"Maybe… And that website must be part of it. It'd seem Boss likes teasing people." Max scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah. It must be like that… Anyway… I'm busy doing some research of my own, so… You're on leave." Eva shrugged.

"Good. I'll try to be back before 13:00 PM. Good-bye." Max nodded in understanding.

He headed towards a door at the north of the room and exited through it while Eva made a sinister smile: she headed back inside of the room and shut the door before sitting down in front of an open laptop.

_Let's research some new games… Tee, heh, heh._

11:18 AM (Japan Time)…

"… By all the…"

"What's wrong, Meijin – san?"

"_San wa iranai_, Saito – kun."

Meijin ran inside of the office where Saito (materialized and wearing street clothes) was waiting at: he looked annoyed, for once, and carried a loose paper on his right hand.

"Please look." He told Saito.

"Thank you." Saito politely replied.

He picked the paper and looked at it:

"thomastorrino ARA anon org" = "didactforerunner gmail com"

"…"didactforerunnner"? What is that?" Saito asked.

"This is two different words stuck together. "Didact" and "Forerunner" are part of the _Halo_ franchise. In short: this gmail address is a joke."

"He really is a _hardcore_ fan, then…" Saito muttered.

"Yeah. And some of the mail's lines are ripped off the games, too, and others must be hacked from the upcoming _Halo 3_ game." Meijin added with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you over nothing, Meijin – san."

"_San wa iranai_… Don't mind it, Saito – kun… I was pretty free of time, after all! By the way… Did Netto – kun get a chocolate?" Meijin asked with a grin.

"Chocolate…? Oh! Today is St. Valentine's Day…!" Saito gasped.

"I'd say you get back or else Roll will be suspecting you…" He teased.

"Thank you, Meijin – san! _Ittekimasu_!"

"_San wa iranai_, I say…" He muttered.

11:20 AM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm back."

"So?"

"Nothing: the whole thing was a prank."

"You're red, niisan."

"Netto – kun!"

Saito had returned to the classroom's Cyber World to report the results: his cheeks were colored red and Netto looked amused.

"Netto…" A voice rang out.

Meiru suddenly popped out in front of his desk and leaned towards him with a suspicious look on her face.

"You're into the club." She told him.

"Huh? The soccer club, you mean?" Netto frowned.

"No… The _S. A. _club, I mean." She corrected.

"S. A.?" Netto frowned.

"_Shounen – Ai_." She whispered.

Netto turned red and began to sweat as he recoiled: Meiru looked very amused at his reaction.

"Tee, heh, heh. It ain't training, movies or games… It's a juicy and scandalous affair!" She whispered.

"Please! Don't tell anyone! Enzan's life is at stake!" Netto pleaded.

"I'm not a witch. But I always have this fail-safe at hand." Meiru giggled under her breath.

"Do you want something on exchange?"

"Yeah. Bring me a chocolate by White Day: March the 14th." She commanded with a grin.

Netto took out his agenda and flipped the pages until he found March the 14th: he wrote "Chocolate for Sakurai – sama" in _Katakana_ and with a red pencil as if to emphasize its importance.

"Good! I see you're smart. Blues is bad at concealing his paranoia: he always gives Roll those mistrust glares… It blew the whole thing away soon enough! Tee, heh, heh." Meiru giggled.

"Crap. _Buruusu_…"

"What's up?"

Saito had been grumbling aloud when Blues stepped in: he glanced at Roll and she returned a broad smile to him.

"Come to the corner, _Buruusu_. We need to talk." Saito grumbled.

He picked his right hand and they walked over to the south east corner of the classroom.

"W-what's going on?"

"_Buruusu_! Your paranoia gave the thing away!" Saito scolded in a hushed tone of voice.

"What?" Blues gasped.

"Roll - chan and Meiru – chan have caught up! Those glares of you said it all: we're lovers!" Saito hushed.

"Crap." Blues muttered.

"Luckily, Meiru – chan is reasonable, so… She won't say anything. But be careful: there might be rivals of IPC trying to set up a scandal regarding Enzan, even! And that's the last thing we need! Ain't that right?" Saito scolded.

"But I always shake them off…" Blues replied.

"Ah. That's something. But those guys have imagination for this kind of stuff, so…" Saito warned.

"Yeah… You're right."

"If you want to, come this afternoon and we'll talk it over." Saito invited with a sigh.

"Y-yeah. Fine." Blues replied.

"What do you think of that guy's latest teaser?" Saito switched topics.

"We got that email, too. Meijin told us about the joke. And we've seen the website. I guess it's gonna be like a game's teaser site: it'll be updated with something new. The countdown will come to an end on Friday February the 18th…" Blues shrugged.

"I see. Well then… Tell Enzan to walk with lead feet: the rivals might be desperate enough to attempt on him!" Saito warned.

"What do you suggest?" Blues asked.

"Maybe I can ask Freeze Man or Forte for a favor: they would be nearby and ready to come out and act. You can materialize, too, so…" Saito suggested.

"I understand. See you later, Saito."

"Good. Later, _Buruusu_."

Blues sighed and walked out of the classroom: Roll giggled and directed a broad grin at Saito: he gulped.

_That evil grin reminds me of Eva… But I know that's the real Roll – chan: the data signature is unique._

"So? Enzan – kun likes being on top?" Meiru whispered.

"Meiru – chan! Please! Don't I get the right to some privacy?" Netto pleaded.

"Tee, heh, heh. I'd forgotten men also like privacy. I thought they like to show off."

"Wrong…!" Netto groaned.

He dropped his head on top of his desk in defeat while Meiru giggled aloud: Netto rolled his eyes in defeat.

11:39 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmpf. Playing Sauron? That ain't gonna save you lowlife's miserable hide, Mr. T.!"

Saruba was watching the video on the website and had a smug smile on his face.

"Tease those guys out there all you lowlife want: I won't allow you lowlife to laugh at my face again." Saruba muttered.

"Ta – dan!"

Somari suddenly showed up from behind the throne and handed Saruba a comet-shaped chocolate.

"Uh… St. Valentine's…" Saruba looked surprised.

"Did ya think I'd let it slip, _handsome_?" Somari teased.

"And I owe you the White Day chocolate." Saruba admitted.

"Of course! It's the annual tradition! Tee, heh, heh! Sidier turned red when I gave him one shaped like the "infinite" symbol: it's a tribute to his _Infinite Naraku_ game. And Solo got a TIE – shaped one 'cause he loves shootin' 'em down!" Somari explained.

"Jeez. I won't deny that, because they're data, we can actually eat them and feel the flavor." Saruba rolled his eyes.

"Tee, heh, heh. So… Are we gonna be _koutei _& _kouhi_?" Somari teased by rubbing Saruba's jaw with her right hand fingers.

"You can be the Empress whenever you want to… We all switch places from time to time… And please stop torturing Sidier with your songs, will you?" Saruba sighed in defeat.

"You guys don't have any musical taste. The _Aikokushatachi_ do with their "ra – ri – ru – re – ro" melody." She kept on rubbing his jaw.

"Crap. Don't bring those weird "Patriots" into the picture again…"

"Let's sing together: ra~! Ri~! Ru~! Re~! Ro~!" She sang.

"Please…!"

"And hop!"

She suddenly brought up a holographic screen which displayed the word "PATRIOTS" in red bold capital letters.

"… Raiden, can you hear us? It's us…"

"Why? The AI was ruined!"

"Only "G. W." was…"

"Who the hell are you guys?"

"In the first place, and to be exacts… We aren't… humans per se. During these 220 years… Several thoughts were born within the gravitational field of the so-called "Diet"… Just like how life was suddenly born in the Earth's seas 4 billion years ago… we sprouted within the Diet and evolved… We aren't material. We are those very "order" and "criteria" which you guys rely upon. No – one can annihilate us. As long as this nation isn't wiped out then we will continue on existing…"

"Don't screw me! If you guys are indestructible, then why do you keep on stealing individual freedom and censure digital info to rule?"

"Hah, hah, hah! Jack! You… You really are somewhat silly!"

"Listen. Our project isn't for our benefit. It's for you guys' benefit. At the start of this century the reading of the genome's information was completed… Its results made clear the evolution progress of we humanity over the 4.8 billion years of Earth's life… By including gene management, we managed to digitalize life… However, in the other hand, there was something which wasn't recorded in the genome…"

Saruba suddenly shut it down and looked annoyed while Somari pinched his right cheek before running off, giggling.

"Those guys creep the Hell outta me. I don't wanna listen to them anymore! Grah! If only Somari –chan and the others behaved… Why do the local girls have to have such weird behavior? I'm cursed or WHAT?"


	17. Chapter 16: Afternoon stuff

**Chapter 16: Afternoon stuff**

16:46 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th…

DING DONG

"Oh! Enzan – kun. Welcome. Have you come to train with Netto?"

"Yes, ma'am… I hope I'm not intruding."

"You're very gentle… Come in…"

"Thank you, ma'am…"

Enzan stepped into the Hikari house and put the slippers in: he picked a cup of tea and drank it before leaving it on the counter.

"Thank you for the tea." He thanked.

"It's nothing!" Haruka smiled at him.

Enzan headed upstairs and knocked into the bedroom's door: Saito opened the door.

"Welcome, Enzan, _Buruusu_. Netto – kun is cleansing his teeth, so… Can you wait a minute?" He greeted.

"Sure. Lemme guess: the tooth paste is strawberry – flavored." Enzan grinned.

"Yup. It's the best!" Saito blinked him an eye.

Enzan aimed the Link PET at the PC and Blues plugged in so Saito grinned and dematerialized to return into his Link PET: Enzan helped him Plug-In into the PC and then shut the door: the blinder had been lowered already and he could hear the noise of Netto cleansing his teeth on the adjacent bathroom.

"Oh. True… I should comment about what I found… It took long enough time…" He suddenly muttered while bringing the right hand to his chin.

"You found out that Indy is gonna be intense with ya today, ya mean to say, Enzan?"

Netto came out of the bathroom while unbuttoning his shirt and letting it open as he walked: his chest was exposed: Enzan set his gaze and on it and seemed to be captivated.

"It'd seem Raoul's talk was true! Heh, heh. Showing off chest hypnotizes people, too." Netto grinned.

"Uh… Yeah… Guess so…" Enzan slowly replied.

"Heh, heh. Since they say St. Valentine's is the "love" day, then… I'm gonna be intense." Netto told him as he teased his lower jaw.

"Y-yeah… Go ahead…"

Netto unbuttoned his sleeveless vest and lifted Enzan's jumper to reveal his chest: he still had some rope marks from what had happened on Friday: Netto seemed to ignore them as he unfastened Enzan's jeans belt and lowered them along with the boxers: he used his fingers to tease his balls next.

"Heh, heh. You're getting excited, Enzan." Netto sounded amused.

"Netto…? Is something wrong with you?" Enzan looked confused.

"… Obviously… Guess I'm starting to behave weird… That of Friday must've left some marks on me, after all…" Netto sighed as he stood up and took out his shirts: he also had some marks left on his forearms and on his shoulders.

"Netto… Please don't try to reinvent yourself for my sake. I like you as you are…" Enzan pleaded as he hugged him.

"… Sorry. I got weird for a moment…" Netto apologized and looked somewhat resigned.

"Nothing happened. Nothing happened on Friday. Deal?" Enzan whispered to him.

"Yeah. Deal." Netto confirmed.

He lowered his pants and boxers, too: they both removed their socks and then climbed into the bed: Netto got into position above Enzan.

"Oh! Before we begin… I finally found what I talked about with Kanou Shade back when he came to IPC…" Enzan brought up.

"Whoa. Took you a while, didn't it? I mean… Ever since July… It's been over half a year already…" Netto looked surprised.

"The problem was that he'd encrypted my file with a cocktail of protocols and ciphers: it took me a long time to decode each layer and each mix-up: some of them were as much as five years old and it was hard enough finding up data on them." Enzan explained.

"So? What did he say?" Netto asked.

"It began like this: "Do you know about a young lad named Mr. Hikari Netto?"… "I do, sir… I met him five or six days ago." …"'Were you disappointed that he wasn't as strong as rumored?" … "Eh… Somewhat, I think." … "I will quote some words that may make you reflect upon them: _Enemies change along with the times, the flow of the ages. And we soldiers are forced to play along."_ … "I am not a soldier, Mr. Shade…" … "It's a comparison. You never know, Ijuuin - dono. One of these days you may find yourself being one of his best friends."…" Enzan quoted the conversation.

"Whoa." Netto whistled in surprise.

"He either had foresight or knew you better than anyone else: but he was true, anyway." Enzan grinned.

"Well… But did you find traces of his involvement somewhere? Like when he began to monitor us and all… Did he begin by the "Nebula" age or before that?"

"Before that. I found some imagery coming from his micro robots: he'd recorded every single incident staged by the WWW and he was sitting on the seat behind you and your friends back when the N1 Grand Prix. He left a micro robot to monitor our battle before running off. He then used a Navi to monitor what was going on inside of the locked down Science Labs network and it followed Saito into the WWW base as he battle both Bomber Man and Stone Man…"

"Whoa. He was _everywhere_! But I'm sure Saruba was also looking on by then, too." Netto whistled in surprise.

"As you can guess, he followed you in a physical manner as you carried out your world tour. He then monitored Gospel's activities but didn't get to find their base: it'd seem Freeze Man would always realize about the Navi and shake them off. Twilight also began plotting by then."

"And I'm sure Saruba, on the other hand, knew Forte was alive after the "Bug Style" incident. I know the rest of the story, but… I'm not sure if either of them could monitor us while we were on "Beyondard": it took some days for Papa to assemble a communications device capable of connecting to "Beyondard", after all!" Netto frowned.

"He could, otouto! _Buruusu_ told me both of them had hidden a remote access program in our PET and they then accessed the registered data on it: copies of my memory files." Saito's voice rang out through the PC's speakers.

"Oh! I see. They couldn't know in live until the battle with the "Super Cybeast", but they then got the rest by looking at your memories! And I'm sure they looked into Blues' and Search Man's, too, to see each party's experiences… O. K.! The enigmas are over. Let's get this afternoon, moving, Enzan – sama!"

"That sounds weird coming from you." Enzan looked surprised.

"Come, Saito. Let's allow your otouto and Enzan – sama to handle this situation by their criteria." Blues whispered.

"Heh, heh. You like closing your arms into me from behind, _Buruusu_… Let's play!" Saito chuckled.

The speakers shut down while Netto began to tease Enzan by rubbing his nipples and balls: he also began to use his tongue around several spots on his body to further excite him.

"Ah… Netto…!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Let's have fun!"

16:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well… Let's see if anything was updated over here… www-the-dread-of-T -com… Eh…"

Obihiro accessed the website "The Dread of T": the video played out before the countdown clock popped out with a message underneath it written in blood red letters over a black background: it was wholly in _katakana_ and there was an English translation beneath it.

02 D 11H 47M 33S UNTIL MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

APPUDEETO: ONORE NO KAGE GA ONUSHI WO URAGIRI KANOUSEI GA ARU. JIBUN NO KAGE NI SHINYOU ATAERARENAI.

UPDATE: YOUR OWN SHADOW MAY BACKSTAB YOU. DO NOT TRUST YOUR SHADOW.

"Hey! This wasn't here yesterday." Obihiro realized.

"Hmpf." Death looked offended.

"Silly." Hunter Man grumbled.

"Yeah. But at least it ain't a torture like Somari – chan's endless songs, anyway." Sidier muttered as he came in.

"Ah. Sidier… _D – Strategy_: 3rd Stage has begun. We have two parties which got a tie-in and both played by the rules… How should we proceed like? I don't think another competition will satisfy them." Obihiro told him.

"Hmmm… Let's give them the same number of robots and a week's time limit: whoever can have the robots defeat a high number of combat Navis gets the whole stock: the other will have to hand it over or else we'll just let the shady part of them be exposed and suffer the shame of having to face a federal court of inquiry in Washington." Sidier calmly suggested while bringing his right hand to his chin.

"Splendid." Death sounded satisfied with the idea.

"Ah… Shun – sama. A mail has arrived." Hunter Man announced while looking surprised.

"Maybe it's one of my YouTube or forum subscriptions?" Obihiro wondered aloud.

"No! The sender is that "Thomas Torrino": the "Eye"!" Hunter Man announced.

"What? Read it!" Obihiro commanded.

"Yes, sir… Ahem, ahem… "THE BEINGS OF DATA HAVE THEIR MIND CONCLUDED. THE BEINGS OF FLESH AND FAITH ARE THE MORE DELUDED. YOUR GODS HAVE PROMISED YOU FREEDOM FROM A DOOMED EXISTANCE, BUT YOU SHALL FIND NO SALVATION ON THIS _RING_. BEWARE. THE DAY OF RECKONING IS FORTHCOMING." … What does Shun – sama think about it?" Hunter Man read before asking.

"This guy is really into the _Halo_ games… And he likes playing the _Gravemind_ thing." Sidier grumbled.

"Eh… You watched it?" Obihiro asked.

"No. I researched. Legally, I'm not 14 yet. I don't want to get into mess for looking up a game rated 16~18+." Sidier replied.

"Ah. But what about…" Hunter Man teased.

"… Fine. There are exceptions."

"I am afraid I did not find the meaning to those words." Death sounded confused, for once.

"It's a very… human – like thing. Don't mind it." Hunter Man calmly told Death.

"Whatever. We should contact those two PMCs and have them hear out our terms." Death shrugged.

"Yeah. I'm on it." Obihiro confirmed.

"So?" Hunter Man asked Sidier in a whisper.

"Oh. Sod off." Sidier grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh."

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Man! You're as stiff as always."

"Guess so…"

"That's your pride speaking?"

"Nope… My laziness, I guess."

"Heh, heh, heh… You've always been like this ever since 3rd grade. Remember how we snuck into the gym storeroom with the copied key every Friday after P. E. class 'cause it was easier to do it with sports clothes on?"

"Yeah. And it feels somewhat similar.

"…"Somewhat"… Don't make me laugh."

"I thought you were the one who came up with the jokes."

"Ah. But my grades weren't anything silly, you know?"

"I know."

Saruba and Solo were sharing a bed in what looked like Solo's room: there was a large poster of _Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_ to the left of the bookcase.

"Heh, heh."

Both of them were covered by the blankets until the waist more or less: Saruba had placed both hands behind his head and was looking at the ceiling while Solo teased his nipples with his coated fingers: Saruba didn't seem to notice it or was pretending: he looked serious while Solo was grinning.

"We were the "star trio" 'cause we got the highest grades on all four years and were kind enough to give help to those who needed it. We proved to the higher years that trying to show off force didn't get you anywhere: we caught them bullying one of our 2nd grade pals back then and we reported them: they had them kicked out." Saruba calmly recalled.

"Yeah… But we can be glad that now that we can finally exit this place we've been able to physically return to our houses… And even though our parents had been in contact for us for over 10 years but, well…" Solo muttered.

"It's a very different thing to speak through a proxy and show up in person... But they understand that we've grown to take our own responsibilities and not be dependant… It's not like we don't care about our parents… Well, my mother, in my case, but… The Japanese society always has this concept of "men must handle alone and not be emotive remembering the family"…" Saruba sighed and closed his eyes.

"Yeah… Anyway… You wanted to do this to vent off your bad mood towards that stupid jerk?"

"Yeah. I don't want to make a fool of myself. I need to be cool and composed or else I'll shun the image the warriors have of me. Right now I'm just another of them. This is what makes me able to handle the burden of being their leader: I don't have to be 24/7: I can switch off and return to my old self."

"Well… Speaking of old selves… What are you gonna do with that violent place you found out about, the "Blood Red Tower"?" Solo asked.

"Hah. I'm always five steps ahead. The cops must be rounding them up by now… If there's one thing I despise is forcing minors to be robbed of their freedom and turned into mere slaves or shells just for monetary profit and lust. They won't know who saved them because they wouldn't believe it, anyway. I'm ironic with myself." Saruba calmly exposed.

"Sorry. I pissed you off?"

"No. You never do, Solo. You're my _friend_. I couldn't get angry with you and you know it. I try to play the adult but I'm still 16 years old. We are like high school 1st grade students." Saruba suddenly smiled at him.

"That's the Saruba I know. Let's heat this up a bit." Solo grinned.

He positioned himself over Saruba: Saruba closed his eyes and looked ecstatic as Solo did something to him.

"Off they go."

He pushed the covers to off to reveal that he was putting his cock into Saruba's insides while pumping in and out.

"You miss this, Saruba. We're going to compensate for the two years we've kept off." He announced.

"… Tee, heh, heh. Afternoons can be used wisely when you have free time and are inspired."

Eva was sitting on an armchair next to the metallic horse in their refuge's basement: Max was strapped to it and was looking at a holographic screen showing the recording of the first threesome on Friday: Max, Netto and Saito.

"Hmmm…!"

Max looked like he couldn't take his eyes off the screen and his tied up cock was bulging: his clothes pegs had some small weights attached to them and his rear hips had signs of having been spanked with something several times: they were red.

"Hmmm… That miserable look says it all: you'd wanted to do that over and over again… Ah… Who knows? Maybe you'd want to go to a pro club instead of being under my _amateur_ tutelage?" Eva teased.

Max quickly negated with the head as he shook and arched his body forward.

"No. They wouldn't be so nice with ya. Only I will 'cause you're my companion. And you really like me tying you up and playing with you, anyway. You're always begging for it." Eva giggled.

Max nodded in agreement and arched his body backwards as the vibrator's buzz-like sounds increased in volume: he seemed to be climaxing along with the movie.

"Mr. T. is busy plotting something and today didn't look it was gonna be much of an exciting day, so… He won't care as long as you remain sane and you're ready to do any little jobs." Eva giggled.

Max lowered his head and suddenly arched backwards again as the three of them released in the movie before it ended: Eva sighed and walked over to him: he took out the plug and Max released in several spurts which stained his upper body and face: he then lost consciousness and remained like that.

"Tune in tomorrow for more!" Eva invited.

She began to free Max and then left him on a blanket placed on the ground while she headed to the restroom and used hot water and disinfectant to cleanse all of the stuff while humming a tune: she stored it up on a box and then picked Max to put the bath-robe on him and sit him on the armchair.

"Let's leave him to nap and he'll eventually come up."

She climbed up a ramp into a room which seemingly was at ground level and then entered the main room: the cell-phone began to ring so she picked it up.

"Hi there~! Your craziest guy around is back!"

"Boss… Couldn't cha be somewhat more serious?" She rolled her eyes.

"I feel like it."

"Lovely."

"Ain't it?"

"Any orders?"

"Not really… Just don't overdo it with Max. Gotcha?"

"Roger. He's the one who begs of me to do that so…"

"I know. But he's got the right to some breaks too. Anyway. I'm off to visiting Mr. Unknown in Yokohama and introducing him to the "The Joker"… Heh, heh, heh, heh… I'm a funny dude."

The line went dead and Eva shrugged.

_Boss is Boss. Well! Let's keep on. Tune in tomorrow for more~!_


	18. Chapter 17: Spoilers

**Chapter 17: Spoilers**

16:38 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday February the 15th…

"… We're home!"

"Welcome!"

Netto and Saito got back home and took off their shoes before heading upstairs: Netto jumped into the bed while Saito turned on the PC and sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

"…www the-dread-of-T com…" He muttered as he typed it.

The usual video played before the countdown came out along with a new message underneath it:

01 D 07 H 20 M 55 S UNTIL MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

APPUDEETO: HI GA KASOUNA URAGIRIMONO WO AKARAUI. SONO JAAKU NA ISHI GA TAIYOU KARA HIMERU TO TSUMORI. SONNA KOTO WO MIERU KOTO DEKIRU, NARA ONUSHI WA WAGA KAGE NI HANASHICHUU. HIKARI GA KIETENAKEREBA, KAGE GA ZETTAI HAMETSUSHITANAKATTA.

UPDATE: THE DAY REVEALS THE DRESSFUL BETRAYER AND ITS WICKED MIND HIDE FROM THE SUN. SOMEHOW IF YOU CAN SEE YOU TALK TO A SHADOW OF ME. UNLESS THE LIGHT IS PUT OUT THE SHADOWS WILL NEVER FADE AWAY.

"Well… That's something." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. He likes being dramatic, it'd seem." Netto shrugged.

"You don't seem to have much work for the next days. Maybe we could go over to the mall and get something?" Saito suggested as he browsed around the Link PET's calendar.

"Sure. Maybe the new _tankobon_ came out: I wanna add it to my collection… Niisan. Do you want to buy something?" Netto muttered before asking him.

"… No."

"Don't come again with those complexes… You have the right to pick something you like!" Netto told him.

"… But…" Saito muttered.

"You're my niisan and you'll always be no matter if you're human or Net Navi." Netto insisted as he patted his shoulders.

"… Yeah. True. I'm too stubborn for my good."

"Come on! What would like? Are you into a _manga_? All Japanese guys are into one!" Netto invited.

"Eh… It's not a _manga_… Do you remember that Belgian comic series Solo talked about, _Blake & Mortimer_? I want to start collecting them… The art style and the depth of its plot… It captured me. It's… breathtaking." Saito admitted.

"Whoa. That sounds almost like a love confession." Netto whistled in surprised.

"S-sorry! I said silly things…!" Saito blushed.

"Heh, heh! Let's get moving, niisan. You need to walk a bit and experience the fresh February air." Netto tapped his back.

"… Yeah. I need to see more of the real world. I can't pretend to always live in a small world. The world is wide. It's time for me to explore it as Hikari Saito…" He muttered.

They both silently came downstairs and put on their shoes.

"We're going out to the mall!" Netto called out.

"We'll be back before 19:00 PM!" Saito added.

"Perfect! Be careful of cars!" Haruka reminded them.

"_Hai_~!"

"There'll be curry for supper!"

"Yay!" Both grinned.

16:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Insofar… I've got nothing new on Mr. T. apart from the crazy updates on his website."

Freeze Man was talking with Forte as he glanced at a screen displaying the front page of the website.

"He's toying with all of us… Just what kind of "master plan" does he have in mind? I wonder why he needs this countdown: I'm sure it ain't something dramatic or just to tease us… And I don't think he's making up a game or a movie either unless it's some cheap animation…" Forte brought the right hand to his chin.

"Hmmm… Maybe he needs time to power up a certain large-scale device? It's what makes sense to me if we discard those earlier ideas. What do you think about that?"

"You know… It might something akin to that. But what kind of device needs a _hundred_ hours to charge up? I'm sure the number isn't made up just for the sake of it."

"I've never heard of such a device. I've searched everywhere: I found some which may fit, though… The LHC, property of the CERN, the Space Shuttle…" Freeze Man listed.

"No. I'm sure it's a self-made device." Forte guessed.

"Whatever. Shouldn't one of us go escort Rock Man and his Operator, anyway?"

"I'll go. Please mind the fort." Forte replied.

"Good. Later."

Forte came out and then "Gufuu" appeared atop the diamond: he made some crazy dance while giggling and Freeze Man looked on with a skeptical unimpressed look.

"_Sayounara_."

"Che. What a clown."

17:14 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Wow. _The Great Pyramid's_ enigma Vol 1 &2… It'll be cool! The covers look so well-worked…!"

"Yeah. Sorry for having you pay for them, otouto."

"Don't worry! I'm sure Mama will give you an allowance, too."

Netto and Saito came out of a store named Fnac: Saito carried a bag with two comics on it and looked thrilled while Netto grinned at him.

"This must be Paradise." Saito muttered.

"Heh, heh! It sure must." Netto grinned.

An explosion shook the whole building.

"What was _that_?" Netto asked to no one in particular.

A swarm of "Bestialized Viruses" came out of nowhere and began to wreck everything in sight.

"Mr. T.'s latest episode, I guess." Saito muttered.

As if replying to their suspicions, the "Eye of Mordor" hologram hovered around the area.

"Kill the Demons!" The "Eye" ordered in its deep and scary voice.

The Viruses started to gather all of sudden to head towards the location of the twins.

"They're heading straight for us!" Netto realized.

"Contact the Science Labs!" Saito instructed.

A "Dimensional Area" formed around the shopping mall just as those words left Saito's lips.

"I didn't call them yet!" Netto exclaimed.

"Who cares? Let's rock!" Saito rallied.

Saito de-materialized and returned into the PET.

"Okay! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The "Cross Fusion" was successful and "CF" Netto drew the Rock Buster as several Viruses surrounded him.

"Here we go! Rock Buster!"

"CF" Netto started to destroy the Viruses easily.

"You know… If the Science Labs got a hold of the news somehow, they deployed the "Dimensional Area"… But the quick reaction is what surprises me." "CF" Netto commented.

"Wrong. The Science Labs didn't activate this "Dimensional Area" to begin with." Saito told him.

"What?" He frowned.

"Look at your right."

"CF" Netto looked towards there and spotted a "Dimensional Converter" with the famous label.

"This is identical to the one in Max's place, so… The guy must've redesigned them." He guessed.

"And he wants us to blow up his pets, too." Saito guessed.

"So! You still refuse to give up, eh?" The "Eye" asked them with obvious amusement.

"Are you gonna show your ugly face once that stupid countdown reaches zero?" "CF" Netto demanded.

"Yeah. Correct." Mr. T. confirmed.

"And why did you need it to last a hundred hours?" He demanded.

"Well…" Mr. T. trailed off.

He suddenly seemed to have noticed something else and stood silent without moving: it lasted for about ten seconds before there was noise like a microphone being connected.

"Sorry. Something popped out." He admitted.

"You were working on something?" "CF" Netto guessed.

"Sort of…" He sounded like he was shrugging.

"Lemme guess! The "T" stands for "Tyrannosaur"... Right?" "CF" Netto tried to guess.

"Wrong."

"Timothy."

"Wrong."

"_Titanic_."

"Why would I pick an ill-fated ship's name?" He asked with some sarcasm.

"Tyrant."

"No~…" He muttered with some resignation.

"Top."

"No…"

"Trunk."

"Wrong!"

"Taurus."

"I'm not a bull!" He growled.

"Tortilla."

"I ain't an omelet!"

"Turtle Man."

"Patent it!" He suggested with obvious exasperation.

"Thor."

"I'm not a God!" He snapped back.

"Troglodyte." He chuckled.

"Netto – kun…" Saito sounded like he was rolling his eyes.

"Wrong! All wrong!" He grumbled.

"… Oi!"

"De masu~!"

CRASH! BLOF!

"O~w… De masu~…"

"When will you quit spying on my neesan? Higure – san?"

"A~h! De masu~! Yu-Yuriko – san is here, de masu! Eh… Well… De masu… I am… huh…"

"CF" Netto frowned upon hearing Yuriko's and Higure's voices coming out of the "Eye".

"You can use doubles, then?" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Yeah. I'd left one checking on Higure: he amuses me." Mr. T admitted with some amusement.

"Shah, shah, shah! Let's send 'im to Alaska with DHL!" Needle Man suggested with some sarcasm.

"What is gonna happen to your store, then?" Yuriko asked.

"A~h! De masu~! Shuuko – chan has the flu and can't come today, de masu~! The Rare Chips, de masu~! My life, de masu~!"

"Move your ass, Yamitarou!" Number Man growled.

They heard rushed footsteps and the sounds of someone panting from the effort: there was the fumbling of a key on a lock and a door opening: some more noises could be heard along with a register's ping.

"All's set! De masu!"

"Hello there! Who wants some fresh _calcium_ – filled fish?"

"The fisherman guy…! De masu!" Higure grumbled.

"The Hi – something _otaku_…!" Masa grumbled.

"Ops." Both of the twins muttered.

"Ugly!" Masa yelled.

"Old! De masu!" Higure shot back.

"Old, you say!" Masa grumbled.

"Yeah! Take that, de masu!" Higure laughed.

"Quit it, Yamitarou!" Number Man scolded.

"Commander Beef…!" Shark Man called out in a whisper.

They heard what obvious was a quarrel inside of the store with some undecipherable yells and shouts: the door opened.

"Oh! Miyuki – san, de masu!"

"Masa – san: the Interpol needs your services." Miyuki coolly intoned.

"Yeah! They need the cool man: Commander Beef! Here I go~! Take that, _otaku_!" Masa laughed.

They heard him running off the store and Miyuki sighing in relief.

"Phew. It worked." She muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Number guy is here." Skull Man commented.

"_Number Man_!" Number Man growled.

"Do you need some Battle Chips, de masu?" Higure eagerly asked.

"Try fixing your tie and glasses." Miyuki replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Huh? Yamitarou. I don't mind if you like _The Lord of the Rings_ but please store that hologram somewhere else: you could scare the customers, even…" Number Man told him.

"What? I don't have such a hologram, de masu."

"It's that Mr. T. guy!" Skull Man growled.

"Yeah. That's me." Mr. T. confirmed.

"Oh! I know! De masu! This is a hidden camera show, de masu! Am I on screen, de masu?" Higure asked.

"Eh… Higure – san…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"What! Netto – kun! You're directing this, de masu?" Higure asked.

"Whoa. He can hear us?" Saito wondered.

"Please put my name in big characters when it comes to the Staff Roll, de masu!" Higure pleaded.

"Staff Roll? Perfect. Here you have them." Mr. T. announced.

A Staff Roll began to roll up out of nowhere and "CF" Netto read them.

"Meitantei Brothers… Shark-head fisherman… Man-head shark… Flaco Man… Icy Voice… Comic _Yakuza_ grunt… Woman In Black… Sunset and "Dark" guy… Number Guy… Forte Fortet… Mr. Freeze… Wife – sama… Sauron – sama… What crazy Staff Roll…" "CF" Netto read aloud before looking somewhat unimpressed at them.

"Yeah. "Fortet" is a Catalan diminutive for "Fort"..." Saito confirmed.

"HUH! AH! Wha~t? De masu~? Why did ya write my name like that, de masu?" Higure cried.

"I'm not "Thin Man"!" Skull Man growled.

"And calling Mama "wife – sama" ain't rude, but…" Saito muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"Telling Masa – san he's a shark – headed fisherman and that Shark Man is the man-head shark…" "CF" Netto looked like he didn't find them amusing.

"And now… The day's big surprise is coming!" Mr. T. announced.

"What's that about?" "CF" Netto questioned.

"My _Aibou_'s name… Vadous." Mr. T. let out.

"W-whoa! Death Shadow talked about the guy: he was the basis for that "Chaos Unison" Twilight used! But he lived in _another Universe_ and…! No way…! You came from there, too?" "CF" Netto gasped.

"I'm sure he ain't kidding." Saito muttered.

"Don't worry: I closed the other channel. Now we can talk without walls eavesdropping on us." Mr. T. told them.

"But… That doesn't answer yet if you're a human or a Net Navi." "CF" Netto told him.

"That'll come later on. I don't wanna rush things up like you youth do the whole time." Mr. T. replied.

"Che. Anyway… You're loading something up like Saruba did?" "CF" Netto asked with a sigh.

"Bravo. Yeah. I'm loading something up. And I'm displaying the remaining time before it ends in live." He confirmed.

"Something tells me you don't seek to rule over others." Saito suddenly told him.

"Yeah. I've got no interest on it: I'm simply putting you guys to test and check if all those stories are myths or not."

"Well… And did you order you terrific duo to stay away from us?" "CF" Netto questioned.

"Yeah. They'll be keeping their distance. But I'm not watching them the whole time: they're responsible enough to take care of their own stuff, anyway. If Max wants to play over the phone, then so be it. No – one's gonna be harmed, right?" Mr. T. calmly replied.

"No. And call off this stuff: we're getting tired of standing here like a statue the whole time." Saito grumbled.

"May I direct your attention to the fact that you forgot to check the Evil God's Statue in the _manga_ shop?" He suddenly asked them.

"Huh?"

"CF" Netto looked over there but only spotted a cardboard figure of Master Yoda there to the right of the entrance.

"What Evil God…? Ah!"

"CF" Netto turned his sight back at where it'd been before but the "Eye" was gone by now.

"Heck."

The "Dimensional Converters" vanished as well so Netto picked up his Link PET: Saito materialized back and picked the dropped bag.

"A foe from _another Universe_… Just what is he?" Netto wondered.

"Who knows?" Saito muttered.

"Calling me "little fort"… The guy's fond of sarcasm." Forte grumbled as he showed up inside of the PET.

"No wonder." Netto calmly replied.

"Heck. As if a "parallel world" wasn't enough now we have "other _Universes_"… The world's gone crazy."

"Sure has."

"And our theory was right: the guy wants to load something up. But we dunno what the machine is this time around."

"Yeah, I know…"

"And he called that "Staff Roll"… He's either nuts or has the weirdest humor I've ever seen. I prefer Shadow Man's sarcasm."

"Anyone would… I'm sure that even those two must have their patience tested out by the guy…" Saito sighed in defeat.

"Mr. T… Sigaano Nogaano… What the heck is the guy? Human or Net Navi? And what is he up to? Does he want to challenge the whole world or WHAT?" Netto wondered aloud while sighing.

"Who knows? Let's hope we all come up alive from this…"


	19. Chapter 18: Final day

**Chapter 18: Final Day**

16:49 PM (Japan Time), Thursday February the 16th…

"… Entertainment, the guys says…"

"He's getting into everyone's nerves."

00 D 05 H 23 M 45 S FOR MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

APPUDEETO: KONNA KOTO NO SHUUEN MATTEIRU NI HITSUYOU WA NAI. KAKKOII MOTENASHI WO ATAERO. JA NE, SHOUNEN TACHI TO SHOUJO TACHI YO!

UPDATE: YOU WON'T HAVE TO SIT IDLE WAITING FOR THIS TO END. I SHALL PROVIDE A VERY NICE ENTERTAINMENT. SEE YA AROUND, GUYS AND GALS!

Netto and Saito were looking at their father's laptop screen to check T's latest update while Yuuichirou was going over some documents.

"And he claims to be from _another Universe_, too… Something tells me this isn't going to be nice." Yuuichirou muttered.

"Hikari – hakase!"

Meijin ran into the room and stopped to regain his breath.

"Meijin – san?" Both twins asked.

"_San wa iranai!_ Trouble!" He exclaimed.

"What's going on? Meijin?"

"Sir! "Phantom Navis" and "Darkloids" are appearing all around the world! The "Cross Fusion" members are fighting them right now!" Meijin announced.

"Crap. T's "entertainment" showed up." Netto grumbled.

"Yeah. He believes himself to be a recycler today." Saito grumbled.

"He's going to show up and laugh at us, I'd say." Yuuichirou grimly muttered.

"Excellent deduction skills! Gentlemen! You could promote a show… C.S.I. _Akihara_! HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH!" A familiar voice echoed around the room.

The doors suddenly closed and they heard the electronic beep being engaged to prevent anyone from manually opening them.

"Mr. Tyrannosaur! Show your hide around!" Netto growled.

"I'm not Dinosaur Man…" A resigned voice rang out.

"Gufuu" appeared on the LCD monitor.

"Whaddya want?" Saito demanded.

"I'm letting out a little spoiler: there'll be _ghosts_ roaming around when this countdown ends!" He announced while switching moods and forming a smug smile.

Saito turned pale and recoiled, afraid.

"Hum, hum! Ghosts, dead spirits, phantoms, wraiths, vampires, zombies, undead… All of the stuff you could expect from a classical Hollywood horror movie! It'll be the _Night the Horror Studio Came Alive_: directed by Sorcerer Gufuu!" He listed before coming up with a movie's name.

"You jerk!" Netto scowled.

"Open the doors!" Saito demanded.

"Sure. Patum, patim, patam! Door: open!" He improvised a melody.

The doors unlocked and a _ghost_ came in: it had the typical white sheet over its body along with the hood and the "tail".

"UO~H!" It moaned in a hollow voice.

"Ya~h!"

Saito ran and hid behind one of the tables while shrieking in pure terror.

"UO~H!" It kept on moaning with a hollow voice.

"Hakase! Look behind that." Meijin signaled.

There seemed to be a light which was coming up from beneath the ghost, oddly enough.

"Netto! Try to come closer to it."

"Yeah! No crappy ghosts are gonna scare me! Take this!"

Netto tried to punch it but his fist passed through it: the ghost didn't react at all and Netto observed a small sphere with multiple lenses set on the ground.

"What the heck is this?" He wondered.

He picked it up and the ghost levitated at a higher height.

"A hologram projector…!" Netto realized.

He found an "ON – OFF" switch on one side of it and turned it off.

"Niisan. You can come out now. It was just a hologram." He called out.

"Are you sure?"

He was popping his upper head from behind the desk and was leaning on it with both hands.

"Sure. See." Netto held the deactivated sphere on his hand.

"Oh… I…" Saito was blushing now.

"It'd seem that you've felt more fear than ever." "Gufuu" was still on the monitor.

"You lowlife!" Netto growled.

"That'd suit a "Darkloid" more than ya." Mr. T. pointed out.

"What are you going to do once the countdown ends?" Yuuichirou demanded.

"Can't you wait another 6 hours?" Mr. T. replied.

"Hmpf." Meijin didn't look amused.

"This guy…!"

"… Ops. This one needs a replacement… Sorry. Business popped out. Be sure to watch the end of the countdown tonight!" He muttered before speaking aloud again.

The screen shut down and turned black.

"_Gomen…_" Saito muttered.

He walked out from behind the desk and looked repented.

"It's not your fault, niisan! It's that guy's fault!" Netto tried to relieve him.

"I know, Netto – kun, otouto… But… Even so… Having fear of ghosts when I'm thirteen years old…" He looked ashamed, glancing at the ground.

"I guess that must be part of a trauma you got time ago, Saito." Yuuichirou guessed as he tried to relieve him as well.

"Yeah… Because I'm supposed to be "dead" but I am "alive"… Those who appear to others after they have died are ghosts, so I firstly thought I was doomed to become some kind of data ghost…" Saito sobbed and hid his face with his palms.

"Please calm down, niisan. We're gonna get that guy for sure. But I can't do it alone. I'll need your power. Will you lend me your power?" Netto asked him.

He walked towards him and hugged him, leaning his head over Saito's right shoulder.

"Yeah, otouto… I'll help you in all I can…" Saito got some color back and looked at him.

"That's the niisan I know." Netto grinned.

Enzan ran in at that moment, having obvious sweat on his face. He'd evidently been fighting a lot.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked.

"Enzan – kun? I thought you were fighting the "Phantom Navis" out there..." Yuuichirou looked surprised.

"They all got deleted at the same time all over the world. It'd seem Mr. T. doesn't need them anymore." Enzan reported.

"We're fine over here."

"Saito… You look pale." Blues commented.

"Ah, eh… I… was…" He blushed.

"It's nothing, Enzan. All we have to worry about now is what is that jerk up to." Netto replied, firm.

"Yeah. If this is his idea of today's episode, I don't wanna see what else he has in the storeroom." Enzan grumbled.

"Well! Let's go home, niisan. We need to be in top shape for what's coming up."

"R-roger, Netto – kun…" Saito slowly replied.

"Hikari – hakase? Could you please explain what happened?" Enzan asked him after the twins had departed.

"The culprit was Mr. T, as one could guess. He used _this_ to create a "ghost" hologram just for the sake of terrorizing Saito." He made a scowl upon holding up the projector.

"Hello. Sorry for the delay: the guy set some "Bestialized Viruses" on us and we took a while to shake them off."

Forte appeared on the monitor along with Freeze Man.

"Forte and Freeze Man? What are you guys doing here?" Blues asked.

"Well… We know the guy is "loading" something up but I don't think it's a generator like Yamikawa's: it doesn't take as much. So it must be some kind of large-scale device." Forte exposed.

"What kind of device would a hundred hours to charge up?" Meijin wondered.

"Dunno. That's where we're stuck right now." Freeze Man admitted with a sigh while shrugging his shoulders.

"Hey. Wait a minute. You're telling me he's trying to use the LHC against us?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Hakase…" Meijin looked surprised.

"What?"

"The LHC is totally safe. It's not a weapon." Enzan cleared up.

"Sorry, I got miscarried." Yuuichirou scratched the back of his head.

"Anyway… Yamikawa has picked off a single PMC and given it _four_ robots: but it'd seem they're only to be used against tanks, planes or boats and not against normal troops. Any infraction would result on them being dispossessed of the robots." Forte switched topics.

"Hum. So he's trying to test their effectiveness in real battle against war machines and not Cross Fusion users…" Blues guessed.

"But there's a leech around here." Freeze Man suddenly warned.

Forte, Blues and he looked towards one nearby server tower to spot Sidier standing atop it while wearing a red mantle-like cloth which covered the upper torso from the front and reached towards the waist from the rear.

The robe was decorated with two golden diamonds which were the origin of string made of gray and hollow horizontal diamonds and it was tall enough to almost hide his head when seen from behind.

The interior had yellow and gray patterns drawn into it. He looked amused.

"So! Rock Man fears supernatural stuff. This could be useful." He announced with a grin.

"You lowlife." Blues hissed.

"I'd say you stay off, Blues. I'm a Breaker – Type, after all. Heh, heh, ehh, heh." He warned.

"I'm gonna break your bones." Forte hissed.

"Net Navis don't have bones." Sidier reminded him.

"Whatever! It's a way of speaking!" Forte grumbled.

"However! I'm not here to have a battle. I'm just overseeing what that bothersome Mr. T. is plotting. Now that I know for sure that he's loading up a device then he can't hide anymore: we can easily track any large concentration of energy. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! See ya 'round the dock of docking docks! Diamond you go: and diamond I go!" He announced with a grin.

He snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished while leaving some diamond – shaped figures floating on the air.

"Bothersome mice." Freeze Man grumbled.

"Whatever. He's just a show-off." Enzan shrugged.

"We'll be going back. Ah. Enzan… I didn't spot anyone suspicious trying to look around you but I won't lower the guard. It could come from the inside, too." Forte warned him.

"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised." Enzan calmly replied.

"We'll have to have aces up our sleeves."

"Good afternoon, Hikari – hakase."

"Take care, Enzan – kun." Yuuichirou told him.

He then sighed and sat down in a chair while glancing at his open laptop and the functioning browser window: he closed it down and shut the laptop off, lowering the lid.

"Meijin. Get all scanning teams on the work. They are to scan for an energy accumulation different to normal AC electricity. We might be able to get some insight into what Mr. T. is working up." Yuuichirou commanded.

"Roger, Hikari – hakase."

"And get some _ramen _knockout too."

"Roger, sir! It'll do wonders, sir."

17:27 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Ah… Ah… Please… Bully me more…"

"Tee, heh, heh. Max… You really want to take all nervousness off before standing up until midnight to see the end of the countdown, don't you? I'll help you fulfill your wish."

"Ah… Mistress… Is gallant… with this useless servant…"

"Tee, heh, heh. You really get into the role when you want to!"

Eva was playing with Max: he'd been blindfolded and immobilized while set face-down on the king-sized bed: Eva was using her right hand to tug the chain connecting to his neck and using the strap-on to push in and pull out from his insides while toying with his cock using the left hand.

"Ah… Ah… Punishment… I need it…" He moaned.

"Tee, heh, heh. The only pity is that I edited the videos to make it look like you guys were wearing leather masks which only allowed you to use your mouths… You won't be recognized. If someone were to spot Enzan there, he'd get into a mess, so… Boss doesn't want that." Eva muttered with a smug smile on her face.

"Ah…! Ah…! A~h!" Max cried.

He released and stained his own upper torso and face: he panted and used his tongue to lick off the stains around his lips before savoring it and swallowing it up.

"Let's test your sensitivity…" Eva whispered.

She pulled the clothes pegs and Max didn't utter any noises as Eva slowly turned them around to inflict further pain: she then placed a clothes peg on his cock's wrapped foreskin and slowly turned it around: Max didn't seem to feel it, either.

"Good! You handle pain very well. And I like hearing your moans and other manly sounds… They sound like a song admitting your condition as my slave." Eva told him as she teased his balls.

"Y-yes, ma'am… I am a filthy slave who deserves being punished by Eva – sama… I am to be an example for those filthy men out there that Eva – sama will be one of the first to rewrite the corrupt history and mythology to give women their rightful place on it… Such is my _raison d'etre_, ma'am…" Max announced like he'd been brainwashed.

"Good! But, hey… Remember. I'm doing this because you fueled up my sadist instincts and wished to be turned into a masochist… You're my companion and we're equal. I guess you must want to be able to handle pain without yelling." Eva reminded him.

"I knew that… Yeah. Given how Saito always got kicked and attacked while yelling out like that proved that he had no instinct to repress pain or try to draw strength from it… So I wanted to be better than him and this was the best way I could think of… Not like I'm regretting it, anyway… It feels good…" Max admitted.

"I think this is good enough… Let's leave it here for today. I don't wanna leave you exhausted for the rest of the day." Eva sentenced.

"R-roger…" Max acknowledged.

Eva let go of the chain and unlocked his forearms: she quickly put the black tunic over her leather suit and covered it as she climbed out of the bed: Max calmly rubbed his forearms and then removed the blindfold and the chains on his ankles.

"Ah… I feel way better. I need to shake the tension off or else I wouldn't be able to focus on tonight's show…" He muttered with a hint of satisfaction.

"You do, eh? Well… Remember to have supper ready by 20:00 PM. But don't rush it, either." Eva reminded him.

"Yeah. Gotcha."

Eva walked off and entered her room before shutting the door off: Max walked some steps forward and picked his clothes before he calmly put the boxers on and then headed off to the bathroom to look at the mirror: he grinned and articulated his hands.

"Heh. With such looks, I'd be locked forever in one of those ugly clubs. But I've got nothing to worry about: Mr. T. is working on getting them out of the area or triggering conflicts between them. I'm handsome, really… Maybe Netto – kun will switch his mind one day and invite me to a new threesome with Enzan. I wouldn't mind it. Heh, heh, heh." He chuckled and looked amused.

He stretched and returned to the main room to finish dressing up: he placed some hair strings close to his eyebrows and grinned at his own reflection.

"This makes me look like a bit more _fashionable_. Let's go sort out the groceries and schedule the next days' meals. I feel like a chef sometimes as well… Heh, heh, heh. O. K.! This night will be thrilling. Stay tuned and awake 'till then by drinking plenty of water! Heh, heh, heh!" He muttered with obvious amusement.

He came out and headed for the kitchen: he opened a cupboard and took out a box having _macaroni_ inside of it: he checked the instructions.

"Cooking time, 9 minutes… Good. I fill up the oven, make the water boil, add a bit of salt and olive oil and then toss these inside… I'll heat up the tomato sauce in the meanwhile and the meatballs… Once it's ready I put of the fire, bring the oven to the sink, and use the colander to filter the _pasta_ and take out the water… I shake them to get rid of any water and then put them back in the oven. I'll add the sauce and the meatballs: I make sure to spread them up and then serve them up… And I should prepare a salad too…" He muttered aloud.

"_Presto! Un cafe para il Signore Comendatore_." Eva joked.

"Jeez. "Quick! One coffee for Mr. Commander."…" He grumbled.

"Tee, heh, heh. You'll beat Ooyama to cooking, Max."

"Who knows?" He calmly replied.

"I do. I'm a Prophetess. Tee, heh, heh, heh. I'm a – genius."

"Sure, sure. I can't wait to see the upcoming show… _Check it out_!"


	20. Chapter 19: Fossa Ambience

**Chapter 19: Fossa Ambience**

23:54 PM (Japan Time), Thursday February the 16th…

"… We're getting close…"

"Yeah. We are."

Netto and Saito were looking at the website: the countdown was reaching its end.

00 D 00 H 05 M 44 S FOR MASTER PLAN DEPLOYMENT

APPUDEETO: KIMI TACHI NO GENJITSU WO KIZUITEIRU

UPDATE: I SHALL CRACK YOUR REALITY

"… Report: no abnormalities found. Over."

The Science Labs were also working.

"… How weird. We've been scanning ever since 18:00 PM and we've found nothing out of place… Can he hide things underground or he has abilities to camouflage them?" Meijin wondered.

"It's too early to judge." Yuuichirou calmly replied.

"Hakase! Energy is quickly accumulating in the atmosphere above the Atlantic Ocean!" One scientist warned all of sudden.

"Can you specify the location?" Yuuichirou asked after gasping.

"About four meters above sea level… However! There is no landmass in there. Wait… It's rising up!" The scientist reported.

"The energy is travelling to a higher height?" Meijin gasped.

"… It's rapidly scaling! It'll soon be completely off the charts if it follows the current speed!" The scientist warned.

"Hakase! The countdown has entered the last two minutes!" Meijin reported.

00 D 00 H 02 M 29 S

"It's getting close…" Yuuichirou muttered.

"Its spectrum is changing! It's entered the visible light spectrum! We've got satellite imagery! Look at the monitor!"

One could see a sphere of energy which glowed through all colors of the rainbow floating idle high in the planet's atmosphere.

00 D 00 H 01 M 13 S

APPUDEETO: KAMIGAMI NO SHISHA NO CHIKARA WO MIRU GA II

UPDATE: BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE ENVOY OF THE GODS

"…"Envoy of the gods"? That sounds bad." Meijin muttered.

The sphere began to frizzle and form purple electricity around its body all of a sudden.

00 D 00 H 00 M 45 S

It immediately assumed an irregular shape but it rather looked like some kind of thunderbolt symbol.

00 D 00 H 00 M 30 S

"We've confirmed the presence of "Dimensional Element" within it!" One scientist reported.

"What did you say?" Yuuichirou turned around, surprised.

00 D 00 H 00 M 20 S

"The levels of "Dimensional Element" are completely off the charts!" The scientist warned.

"What would that imply…?" Meijin wondered.

00 D 00 H 00 M 10 S

APPUDEETO: REKISHI WA NANDO DEMO SAISEISEYO. MIRU GA II!

UPDATE: HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BEHOLD!

00 D 00 H 00 M 05 S

"A "Fossa Ambience" has opened!" The scientist stated.

"Does it lead to "Beyondard"?" Yuuichirou guessed.

"Affirmative!"

00 D 00 H 00 M 01 S

00 D 00 H 00 M 00 S

It happened: a "Dimensional Area" formed and began to expand while covering the whole of Earth, coming out from _inside_ of the "Fossa Ambience".

"A worldwide "Dimensional Area" has formed!" One scientist reported.

"How…? There's nothing but the "Fossa Ambience"!" Meijin exclaimed, baffled.

"Wait… When we fought the "Super Cybeast"… Over one year ago… The "Fossa Ambience" spread part of the "Beyondard" atmosphere, allowing for "Cross Fusion" without a "Dimensional Area"… But the "Bestialize Factor" was wiped out. So what's causing it…?" Yuuichirou wondered while recalling.

"Maybe we should use the portal machine to establish communication with "Beyondard"… Let's use its remote access system and speak with the "Dimensional Area Laboratory"..." Meijin suggested.

"Good idea. Let's start working on it." Yuuichirou confirmed.

There was a beep sound and one scientist typed into a computer.

"Hakase! We have a signal from "Beyondard"!" He reported.

"That was fast! It hasn't even been 5 minutes yet." Meijin looked surprised.

"Patch it through to the main screen." Yuuichirou commanded.

Barrel, Iris and Trill appeared onscreen: they were inside of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory" main room and seemingly using one of the computers there.

"Hikari Yuuichiou – hakase. It has been a while." Barrel greeted.

"Barrel Tai – sa, Iris – chan and Trill…" Yuuichirou greeted.

"Yay! Netto and Saito's Papa! Where are Netto and Saito?" Trill asked with a grin.

"At home: I'll patch you to them later." Yuuichirou smiled at him.

"Oh! Meijin – san, too!" Trill greeted.

"No way… _San wa iranai_…" Meijin sighed in defeat.

"Good evening." Iris camly greeted.

"Hakase. A "Dimensional Area" has been formed here: it encompasses all of "Beyondard" and has started an artificial night at some regions. The origin is located in a tower-like structure about 100 km from here while going in the "Wily Laboratory" direction. But it seems to be cloaked somehow, so… We can't properly scan it. It's emitting a very large and unique power signature which indicates a large concentration of devices coupled by what could be a power core." Barrel reported.

"A tower… Almost like "Sharo Tower" or "Twilight Tower"… So that's the source of it." Meijin muttered.

"A "Fossa Ambience" has opened right above the tower. A "Dimensional Beam" is being projected into it and it's seemingly broadcasting a _second_ "Dimensional Area"..." Barrel reported next.

"Correct. It seems to have formed in a synchronized manner in both worlds."

"I see." Barrel brought a hand to his chin.

"Trill saw an eye of fire!" Trill let out.

"Mr. T… He's the one behind this. We don't know if he's even human or a Net Navi." Meijin summed up.

"It'd seem, though, that something important is going to happen… I have a bad feeling, even…" Iris muttered.

00:08 AM (Japan Time), Friday February the 17th…

"… Man… I miss Netto…"

Aragaki Kojiro was sitting on the dock of his village and staring at the black waters: he looked bored and depressed.

"And what's with today's night? It's blacker than usual…"

"Hullo." A voice greeted.

Kojiro turned around but spotted no one.

"Listen, boy. I need you to pass a message to your beloved Phakchi – neechan." The voice added.

Kojiro spotted the "Eye" and recoiled, clearly taken aback.

"W-what the hell are ya…? A "Zoanoroid"…?" He gasped.

"No." Mr. T. replied.

"Oi, oi! Kojiro! What are you doing here alone? It's late and…! What the heck is that?"

Phakchi Faran had come into the dock while scolding Kojiro: she spotted the eye and gasped.

"Phakchi Faran! Listen! I grant you a challenge. Come tomorrow at noon at the Great Tower 100km north-west of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory" to prove your worth. You're free to decline, though." Mr. T. told her.

"Hah! If it's a battle, I can easily win it!" Slash Man announced.

"Heh, heh, heh! Good. Good. I'll go fetch some more "guests". Good night and beware of the man-eater shoes." Mr. T. chuckled.

The "Eye" faded and vanished with a bright flash: the three of them looked baffled.

"Who the heck was that dude? He sounded like he was in charge of the whole business!" Phakchi wondered.

"Dunno…" Kojiro muttered.

00:18 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Ah… Some nice canned beef for supper! I'm feelin' stuffed."

"That's because Dotarou eats too much, de gozarou."

"Hah! Press. Ye talk too much."

"Good beefs."

"Yikes!"

Horisugi Dotarou and Mr. Press gasped when the "Eye" showed up inside of their truck: there were signs of a recent meal like an open beef meat tin along with dishes, glasses, forks and knives.

"I guess Ground Man and Dust Man are about to hit jackpot." He announced.

"What the heck?" Ground Man grumbled.

"Watcha mean?" Dust Man asked.

"They're gonna have a thrill." Mr. T. told them.

"A drill…? We can make that thing up ourselves, ya know." Dotarou shot back.

"No, de gozarou! What he meant is a thrill and not a drill, de gozarou."

"We get to break somethin' up?" Ground Man questioned.

"Or do we get fix it up instead?" Dust Man asked.

"Think what you guys want: the place is the "Great Tower", 100 km NW of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory". Be there by noon. Our beloved Dynamic Quartet… Enjoy yourselves…" Mr. T. invited.

The "Eye" suddenly vanished and the four of them were left surprised: Dotarou blinked several times while Mr. Press checked his glasses.

"Hah! A thrill, they say. I was missin' one!" Ground Man laughed.

"We're gonna show 'em we're serious pro guys!"

00:22 AM (Japan Time)…

"… The wind's voice… This night is the forthcoming of an omen! Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"As expected… From the famous Fuuten Roushin…"

Fuuten Roushin, Tengu Man's Operator, jumped off the stone he'd been sitting at when the "Eye" showed up and began orbiting around him.

"You want some excitement? Go to the Great Tower, 100 km NW of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory": something is waiting for you and many others. There'll be agony, sorrow, anger, nerve, fear, despair and countless emotions… And before you ask… I'm not a torturer and I don't plan on harming anyone." Mr. T. eagerly listed.

"Ho, ho! That sounds exciting, Eye!" Fuuten laughed.

"Hmpf." Tengu Man was unimpressed.

"Good. Be there by noon. But before that… Let the wind make you fly across the skies like you were a bird." Mr. T. joked.

"Hmpf."

"Ho, ho, ho!"

His hologram vanished and Fuuten stood up while stretching and picking up his cape.

"Let's go, Tengu Man! A new adventure is ahead of us! Ho, ho, ho! Wind's Voice: guide us!" Fuuten laughed.

"… Even if the skies turn black all of a sudden, we won't cancel any trains or change schedules."

"Roger, Kurogane – san."

"Good trains, Kurogane Kunio."

"Huh! What are you?"

"Me? I'm an eye: can't you see that?"

Kurogane Kunio had been talking with a station employee when the "Eye" showed up in front of them.

"Che! This is a hologram." Charge Man grumbled.

"You wanted to run me over, Charge Man?" Mr. T. asked.

"Yeah! I don't trust weird guys."

"Cool it down, Charge Man." Kurogane told him.

"Listen! If you want to prove your worth, come tomorrow at the Great Tower, 100 km NW of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory"! I've bothered to set up some tracks over there, even, so you can come and park the train in front of the tower: free of charge!" Mr. T. challenged.

"Hum. If you've bothered so much, then I will come." Kurogane calmly replied.

"Worry not: the only one who needs to work is Charge Man. I'll be expecting you and the other challengers by noon. _Bye – bye_." Mr. T. assured him.

"… Hmmm… This sounds suspicious." Kurogane brought his right gloved hand to his chin after the hologram vanished.

"Yeah. But I'm gonna prove it that I'm a strong guy!" Charge Man exclaimed.

"… Something is amiss tonight…"

Dark Kirisaki, Killer Man's Operator, was standing on a mountain's cliff and eyeing the skies.

"Che. They look like there's gonna be a cataclysm, even… It ruins the festival mood!" Killer Man grumbled.

"Hmpf. There's no need for festivals." Kirisaki calmly replied.

"Oi, oi! I'm an assassin: I need work to do!"

"Then I'll give you a festival, Dark Kirisaki and Killer Man. And you won't get bored with it!" A voice rang out.

Kirisaki looked over his right shoulder and slowly turned towards the right to glare at the "Eye" with a cold look.

"The Great Tower, 100 km NW of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory", awaits you! Go and slaughter the challenge which is waiting for you guys! It'll begin tomorrow at noon!" Mr. T. announced.

"Hyah, hah, hah, hah! Oh yeah! Good! Yeah! That sounds more like my style! Festival, bloody festival!" Killer Man laughed.

"Cool it down, Killer Man." Kirisaki commanded.

"It'd seem Grim Reaper – sama won't be pleased just like that… Maybe if I tell you that you might pave the road for the 2nd team you'll get interested?" Mr. T. humorously suggested.

"What 2nd Team…? Netto – kun and his friends…?" He frowned but suddenly gasped.

"So? Do you wanna make it easier or make it harder for them?" Mr. T. challenged.

"If I can help him back… Then so be it." Kirisaki replied.

"Good! Remember: tomorrow at noon. _Ciao_!"

"Hyah, hah, hah, hah! Rock Man's comin' to take part in the festival, too, then! We're gonna have a thrill!" Killer Man laughed.

"It was a mistake to make him be so hyperactive." Kirisaki grumbled.

"… And the town we need to relieve from the recent floods is just another 50 km down this passage…"

"Good. We'll be there by tomorrow morning."

"It's taken us three days but it can't be helped."

"Maybe you want to grow wings to be able to fly to the Great Tower and take my challenge on, Masked Captain and co. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" A voice rang out.

"HUH?"

Masked Captain, Saloma and Miyuki looked up from some maps set on a foldable table to see the Eye reading them as well.

"Who are you?" Masked Captain demanded.

"Mr. T."

"Mr. T.?" The three of them asked.

"It's a hologram." Shark Man told them.

"But it gives off a bad vibe." Wood Man warned.

"Che. More problems…" Skull Man grumbled.

"Ahem, ahem! The Great Tower is just 100 km NW of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory". There's a railroad with a train which will take you there from the town you're headed at. I'm sure the former Resistance guys will know what to do without orders." Mr. T. explained.

"Hum! If you make it easy, then we won't complain. We'll be there and you'll have to eat some _calcium_!" Masked Captain grinned.

The other five sighed in defeat and rolled their eyes.

"Good! I like the mood. You'll need all of your battle potential to crave the road. I'll be waiting at noon! _Auf Wiedersehen_!" Mr. T. laughed.

"… Wow. This worldwide "Dimensional Area" has switched to the X-ray scope and thus become invisible to the naked eye… Sunlight will enter and you won't notice it's there to begin with…"

"Mr. T. seemingly doesn't want terror. He must want to prove how far his technological skills can reach."

"Have you thought about my plan?"

Obihiro, Hunter Man and Death were talking inside of their refuge: Death sounded up to something while the other two were grinning.

"Yeah. We'll go ahead with it." Obihiro confirmed.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"


	21. Chapter 20: Great Tower

**Chapter 20: Great Tower**

17:03 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 17th…

"… I'm sure he's being literal."

The countdown on the website "The Dread of T" had vanished and there was a new message:

APPUDEETO: ODOROITAKA? MADA DA! KORE WA MADA OWARI DE WA NAI! OOKI NO SHOO WA KYOU NO GOGO NI HAJIMERUZE! BAI – BAI!

UDPATE: SURPRISED? NOT YET! THIS AIN'T OVER YET! THE BIG SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN TODAY'S AFTERNOON! BYE-BYE!

The "Cross Fusion" members had been assembled in the Science Labs to discuss the current situation: Yuuichirou was the one who had spoken.

"Heh! It looks cool!" Rokushakudama grinned.

"Yeah. It's cooler than yer silly fireworks!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Wha~t?" He growled.

"Hum. It'd seem he's finally getting to the point." Miyabi muttered.

"The boiling point, I'd say." Shadow Man joked.

"To the exasperation point, I'd say." Tomahawk Man glared at Dingo.

"Grah! Why can't I be guided by Totem – sama?" He growled.

"I hope Higure – san behaves…" Yuriko muttered.

"Shah, shah, shah! He'll bring out an army of Higure clones!" Needle Man laughed.

"I shouldn't have let you see that _Sixth Day_ film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger…" Yuriko grimly muttered.

"This sounds like an adventure!" Jasmine commented.

"But it's spoiled." Meddy joked.

"Yeah? Is that what cha think?" Meiru dully asked.

"This reeks!" Roll told them.

"Those two…" Saito (inside of his PET and with the Navi bodysuit on) rolled his eyes.

"They'll never work together." Netto sighed.

"Whatever." Enzan shrugged.

"We have other things to worry about." Blues dully reminded them.

"So… Laika. Any interests?" Pride teased him.

"Eh… I am not sure if I see the point of…" He began.

"You don't see the point? Oh. True. You're just 15… Maybe you need another one or two years." She giggled.

"C-could be…" Laika blushed.

"I don't see the point, either." Knight Man admitted.

"It must be a human thing." Search Man shrugged.

"So! It'd seem this afternoon will be better than watching your cheap sci-fi film series over the TV, Charlie." Tesla teased.

"Jeez." Airstar grumbled.

"My, my…" Gyro Man muttered.

"Tesla – sama…" Magnet Man sighed.

"…"Beyondard"… We're about to get to the core of the matter." Dr. Regal calmly muttered.

"I believe the same thing, too." Laser Man admitted.

"Heh, heh, heh. Good. Everyone is here… Let the show begin! Step through this "Fossa Ambience"!" Mr. T. instructed.

A "Fossa Ambience" opened next to the entrance door: everyone stood up and calmly walked towards it while Yuuichirou and Meijin looked on: the group stepped through the gap.

"WOW!"

They all gasped once they exited the "Fossa Ambience": they were staring at a huge tower.

The tower had a cone-shaped base and a cylindrical central body, and atop of it, there were two pyramids joined together and facing in opposite directions.

Eight columns were placed near the base to hold it up and it was emitting a "Dimensional Beam" towards the sky: just above that spot there was another, larger, "Fossa Ambience".

There was an archway decorated with unknown symbols set in front of them.

A railroad and a train station were built close to the right side of the main body.

The whole set looked about thirty meters wide and almost a hundred tall.

"This is the Great Tower! The insides are a challenge, so… Use "Cross Fusion"! I'll be recording your battle, so… If you spot any cameras, please try not to damage them. Deal?" Mr. T. instructed next.

"Deal." Netto replied.

"Heh, heh, heh! Show: start!"

The "Eye" floated and shot skywards at a mad speed before it entered the structure at the top of the tower and vanished.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Netto exclaimed.

Everyone performed "Cross Fusion2 and the doors opened on their own while swinging inwards.

"Let's go!" "CF" Laika rallied.

The group of thirteen found a spiral stone stair which climbed around a central column: what got their attention, though, was a mass of orange – like substance which was covering the walls: it had an eerie air.

"Something about that thing gives me a vibe." "CF" Roll muttered.

"It seems to be materialized data with sensors…" "CF" Laika announced.

"I'd say we ignore them and begin climbing." "CF" Blues suggested.

Several "Bestialized Viruses" suddenly materialized on the stair and in the space around it en masse.

"Battle: Start!" Mr. T.'s voice rang out through speakers.

"Rock Buster!"

"Heart Slash!"

"Cross Laser!"

"Tomahawk Air Raid!"

"Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Medical Attack!"

"Blues Sword!"

"Scope Gun!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Needle Attack!"

"Mag Missile!"

"Double Gyro Cutter!"

"Fire Arm!"

The Viruses were destroyed and they kept climbing: the more they climbed, the thicker the substance in the walls became.

"That thing looks hostile, even…" "CF" Meddy muttered.

"Don't lower your guard! Mega Cannon!" "CF" Netto replied as he blasted a Garuu Virus which was about to spit fire.

"Yeah! Any mistake could prove fatal. Long Blade!" "CF" Blues warned

"I'll try something." "CF" Yuriko announced.

She suddenly grabbed a Mettool from the stairway and threw it at the substance.

"Metto~!"

It got stuck there and seemed to be slowly sinking into it like if it was quicksand.

"Me… tto~!"

A reddish bubble suddenly surrounded it and engulfed it while seemingly breaking it down into raw data and transporting it upwards through what looked like veins.

"Whoa." Everyone gulped.

"Let's try n-not jumping off the stairway…" "CF" Dingo suggested.

They kept on climbing the apparently endless spiral stair: the light was provided by rows of single bulbs arranged in vertical stripes along the central cylinder.

"I wonder what kind of man Mr. T. is… To build such a tower… And where are the "Dimensional Converters" to trigger this "Dimensional Area"? I didn't see them in the outside." "CF" Laser Man commented.

"Then they must be somewhere in the inside if any logic works in thise situation." "CF" Yuriko suggested.

"Maybe they're closer than we think. Very close by..." "CF" Roll pointed out.

"Why do ya think that, Meiru – chan?" "CF" Netto asked.

"Huff! You guys are pretty deaf or not paying attention to your surroundings: I've been hearing this humming noise ever since we began climbing this men's toilet servant." "CF" Roll sarcastically replied.

"Not again with the men's toilet…" "CF" Netto looked skeptical.

"CF" Laika turned to face the central column and began to scan it up.

"True! They're built inside of this column: the whole height of it is full of them. There are eight "Converters" placed vertically and covering the whole diameter of the column. They seem to be packed as if they were the floors of an apartment block. That's some space saving." He explained.

They reached the top of the stairs: a doorway built into the column awaited them.

"Let's take point." "CF" Netto suggested.

"Roger." The other two confirmed.

They passed through a small corridor and found an elevator shaft where there was a round platform and there also was a sign.

"WOONINGU! SAIDAI KINRYOU: 300 KIROGURAMU.

WARNING! MAX WEIGHT: 300 KILOGRAMS."

"Hmmm… We'll have to make groups. Let's try gathering the lighter fighters and have the heavy ones come individually." "CF" Blues calculated.

"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing." "CF" Laika agreed on it.

"I'm coming for the first ride." "CF" Roll ran in.

"You think Jasmine wants to steal the glory?" "CF" Netto guessed.

"Yeah. I do even though I know about two birds." She grinned.

"CF" Blues looked elsewhere and "CF" Laika frowned.

"Let's go, you men's toilet envoys!" She commanded.

"Not again…" "CF" Netto slapped his forehead in defeat.

They stepped into the round platform: it hummed and ascended the shaft apparently without any need for wires.

"Whoa! This platform is something else!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"It looks like the platform is materialized data as well which is being pulled up by a magnetic force. That's some intelligent elevator system: this guy must be fond of new-gen tech." "CF" Laika analyzed.

"Mr. T. must have some mannerisms! I was tired of walking up that stupid staircase." "CF" Roll grinned.

"Yeah, yeah… He sure has." "CF" Netto drily muttered.

They reached the destination soon enough: a wide room which seemingly spanned all the width of the tower awaited them.

"Wow."

The group of four stepped out of the platform: it descended the shaft to pick a new group while they looked around.

"This looks like a battlefield… And look at the ceiling." "CF" Laika muttered before pointing there.

They looked at it: the orange mass seemed to become thicker there and the nerve-like ramifications spread from a black metallic rhomboid-shaped container: the container had a small slit between each half and they could see a reddish mass agitating inside of it while the ground beneath it was filled with marks of attacks impacting there.

"That thing looks like the core of the mass." "CF" Blues muttered.

"What a horrible taste." "CF" Roll looked unimpressed.

"And it looks like the "Beyondard" Navis were unable to make it past this point." "CF" Netto guessed.

The other groups began to come in and align while keeping their distance from the center spot: the hatch of the elevator platform closed up and they heard an electronic beep being engaged.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

The mass slipped out of the container and began to accumulate on the ground: it then began to form a column-like shape with a core spheroid on top of it: a membrane covered the core up.

A small metallic circle with a red eye set inside of it appeared on top of the thing and some lance-like shapes materialized behind its armor: the "eye" had two ear-like curved metallic shapes at both sides of its space.

Some metallic armor formed behind it and two metallic detached forearms with claws showed up at both sides of the core next which looked like its main weapons.

"W-what a monster!" "CF" Dingo gasped.

"Proto Core." Mr. T. announced.

"Proto? What… That thing attacks with a proton beam?" "CF" Dingo laughed and tried to look confident.

"I doubt it." "CF" Meddy muttered.

"Sorry. "Proto" does not stand for "proton". It stands for… "Prototype Internet"." Mr. T. announced.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" All thirteen people exclaimed.

"Although I should clarify that this is a kind of a bug collection. This Proto developed bugs and they joined to gain some level of self-awareness like an amoeba. It likes to absorb things and break down its data to gather into it to grown. That's what happened to that unfortunate Mettool." Mr. T. explained.

"Where did you get that from?" "CF" Netto demanded.

"I "borrowed" it from the Science Labs." The voice stated.

"Impossible! There's never been such a thing there." "CF" Laser Man replied.

"There isn't such a thing… In _your version_ of the Science Labs..." He put emphasis on that word.

"You mean to say that you got this from that other Universe you come from?" "CF" Netto guessed.

"Bravo. And wouldn't you know who designed it? Hikari Tadashi – hakase."

Silence filled the room.

"Grandpa… Built this thing?" "CF" Netto was stunned.

"Correct. But you can't blame him for becoming like this. It was his greatest dream, but, alas, Fate struck him down."

"ROA~R!" The thing roared.

"If you can beat it then you'll proceed to the second challenge. Think of it as the eliminatory round of a tournament."

Proto began to attack with two machineguns mounted on its shoulders: all dodged and counterattacked: Proto took some damage, but it kept standing: its claws were hard to dodge, also, given how they moved vertically and horizontally while it could fire a laser at them as well.

"Take this! Napalm Bomb!"

"CF" Rokushakudama shot Napalm Bombs at it but they did little damage: the claws shot forward and pierced his chest emblem.

"Gra~h!"

His "Cross Fusion" broke apart and he fell to the ground, out cold: there was a white flash and he was gone.

"I'll transport him back to the Science Labs." Mr. T. announced.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

"CF" Dingo tried to ram into the thing but it shot its laser and hit "CF" Dingo fully, propelling him to the ground: his "Cross Fusion" broke due to the damage taken and he was also warped out.

"We've lost two of our fighters. We must be careful." "CF" Laser Man warned.

"ROA~R!"

"Doesn't it know when to shut up? Medi Capsule!"

"CF" Meddy threw capsules at it thus paralyzing it.

"Now! Program Advance! Spread Gun, Triple Slot In! Hyper… Burst!"

"Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream… Sword!"

"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen… Vulcan!"

The three Program Advances hit Proto fully and impacted its core spheroid fully by tearing through the membrane: the thing agitated and convulsed like it was dying.

"GROA~H! GWA~H!"

It exploded into countless bits and two modern-looking locked steel gates with a frame appeared on its place.

"Well done. But now is where the real challenge begins." Mr. T. chuckled.

"Damn. I now see why the "Beyondard" Navis were unable to get past that thing: it must've had shielding abilities and its attacks at critical spots are deadly!" "CF" Blues muttered.

"What could be inside of there?" "CF" Roll wondered.

The doors slowly swung outward to reveal a Time Space gateway of sorts which looked like a waterfall: a figure was stepping towards them from the other side of that.

"T-that door…! The other end of the waterfall is the Cyber World! It's a gateway between both spaces like the ones inside of a "Dimensional Converter" Cyber World…!" "CF" Laika gasped.

"Whoa." Everyone whistled in surprise.

The figure calmly walked past the water fall and stepped out as the doors closed and locked before turning transparent and vanishing: the figure stopped there and faced the 11 "Cross Fusion" members.

The newcomer's chest was colored black while his helmet's colored was bright golden: the front of it had two green jewels embed into its body.

Two white ribbons came out from the front of the helmet while another ribbon came out from behind his helmet and pointed upwards.

His eyes were brown and displayed calm.

Two golden armlets with some black stripes were set on his black arms.

He also had two golden plates set over his shoulders.

He wore some kind of white silk pants and strange shoes colored black with a golden stripe near the ankle: he had a golden cross on the waist with a green jewel set there.

Two curved – shaped lances floated behind him: they were transparent and of a pink – like color.

Overall, he looked around a meter and seventy tall and his mere presence radiated power.

"Serenade. Reverse King." Mr. T announced.

"Reverse King? King of the Reverse Cyber World…?" "CF" Netto gasped.

"The Reverse Cyber World is different in the place I come from. It was designed to hide a special program in there. That program was too dangerous to be misused so they built a wholly isolated area to contain the damage it'd cause if it was misused. He is the keeper of the program and will only give it to someone who manages to climb all of the Reverse Cyber World's ranks." The voice explained.

"And why does he work for the likes of you?" "CF" Blues demanded.

"Simple. This one's a copy without personality data. It's built solely for combat. Go! _Dia Ha!_"

"Cross Laser!"

"CF" Laser Man fired at the Navi but the two lances moved in front of the Navi and deflected the attack back at "CF" Laser Man: the power of the attack left him out of the fight.

"He can deflect anything we throw at him? Be careful, everyone!"

The Navi moved around, and, suddenly, a sphere of light came out of his right hand and floated around.

"Oh! What a pretty light!" "CF" Meddy seemed to be captivated.

"Jasmine! Don't do it!" "CF" Netto warned.

"CF" Meddy tried to pick it up but it hit her and left her out of the fight, too.

"We've lost four of us insofar. We can't afford any more mistakes!" "CF" Blues cursed.

The Navi, Serenade, stopped and extended his right palm forward.

"Huh!"

A green energy wave came out of there and shot small green energy spheres around the room: some of them hit "CF" Airstar and "CF" Tesla thus defeating them in the blink of an eye.

"Shit. Counterattack! Blues Sword" "CF" Blues growled.

"Mega Cannon!"

"Satellite Ray!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Needle Attack!"

"Kingdom Crusher!"

"Roll Arrow!"

The attacks bombarded Serenade but his face did not change as he stepped back and some bruises showed up on his body.

"I see! He's open to attack when he fires those energy spheres…! Dodge and then counter!" "CF" Laika commanded.

Serenade kept moving around using the small sphere of light which moved around the area: he then stopped and began to shoot out the spheres once again.

"Now!" "CF" Blues commanded.

They hit Serenade with their attacks and more wounds began to form on his body: he looked like he was getting tired.

"Did that do it?" "CF" Netto wondered.

Serenade spread his arms open and gracefully arched his body backwards as white energy began to be emitted from his chest: his body was slowly surrounded by a white aura.

"That looks bad… He's releasing the energy inside of his body!" "CF" Yuriko made a grimace.

"He reminds me of a saint, with that pose and all…" "CF" Roll muttered.

Serenade lowered to his knees and clutched his chest while lowering his sight: he suddenly exploded and a gigantic white-colored energy shockwave spread just like a star's explosion: it swept the whole room and annihilated the remains of the orange mass.

"Gua~h!"

The shockwave soon died down and they looked around: only "CF" Netto, "CF" Blues and "CF" Laika had survived.

"Shit. Three. Just the three of us against God knows what more!" "CF" Laika hissed.

"Grah… I feel like I have a thousand needles in my skin…" "CF" Netto groaned in pain.

"Ugh… That's gotta be the worst explosion ever." "CF" Blues cursed.

The charred remains of the rhomboid fell into the ground and revealed the entrance of a shaft climbing upwards: a platform formed beneath it as well.

"Guess we're the finalists…" Saito muttered.

"Yeah. Let's go say "ugly" to Mr. Timothy." "CF" Netto sarcastically replied with a weak chuckle.

The three members climbed into the elevator and reached a room shaped like the lower half of a sphere: two curved stone stairs climbed towards two rectangular hatches in the ceiling.

"Great. More climbing… Does this tower never end? I feel like I was climbing up the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator!" "CF" Netto groaned.

"Bear with it…" "CF" Laika told him.

"We're here at the very least." "CF" Blues replied.

They used their Jet Verniers and ended up in a room shaped like the top half of a sphere.

"Wow."

The room had a cone-shaped pedestal barely half a meter tall set on the middle with some steps which climbed to the top: another cone structure came out from the ceiling and pointed downwards: it had a closed hatch on the underside.

Various circles were placed around it and they had some kind of slit from which various energy conduits originated.

"Whoa." They gasped.

A large view window surrounded the whole diameter of the room: they looked outside and realized this sphere was placed inside of the diamond – like structure at the top: it was a "Dimensional Area" shaped like that.

"Cool."

Some towns could be seen scattered around the landscape and they could also spot the unmistakable form of the "Dimensional Area Laboratory".

"Where's Mr. T. at, anyway? Or, rather, where's that Gufuu creep hiding at?" "CF" Netto wondered.

A "Fossa Ambience" suddenly opened in front of them.

"What?" "CF" Blues uttered.

Air began to be sucked inside of the "Fossa Ambience" and the "Cross Fusion" fighters were drawn in as well: the "Fossa Ambience" closed up as suddenly as it had opened: no – one remained in the room afterwards and a deadly silence lingered around the air.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Welcome to the party, gentlemen. Time to have some burning hot _action_… Heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	22. Chapter 21: Battleground

**Chapter 21: Battleground**

18:55 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 17th…

"… Where the hell are we?"

The three "Cross Fusion" fighters landed somewhere.

They looked around: the area was filled with gigantic rock platforms which floated and rotated around a whirlwind set below them.

The skies had circuitry on it, making them remember the "Bestialize Factor" which had become part of "Beyondard" and filled the whole of the skies.

There was a small "Dimensional Area" set just beneath them.

"T-this is… It's like the Cyber World, but… No. It's a small Time - Space pocket dimension designed to be energized and allow us to maintain "Cross Fusion"…!" "CF" Laika gasped.

"I see…! And this must be part of what he was loading up." "CF" Blues realized.

"Mr. T.! Show your mongrel hide!" "CF" Netto demanded as he stepped forward.

The "Dimensional Area" underneath them shone and a shape could be seen inside of its dome.

"There they are!"

The shape shot out and escaped the "Dimensional Area": it made a big hole in the middle of the platform.

"Whoa!"

A bright ellipsoid-shaped mass of energy standing in a vertical position descended and floated above the hole: it repaired on its own.

"A gentleman is always loyal to his word! Time for a nice surprise revelation… Don't you think so, my fellow conspirers?" Mr. T. exclaimed from within the energy mass.

It vanished and revealed his true form.

He had a humanoid shape and seemed to be around two meters tall.

Black armor made of an unknown material covered the whole of his body thus protecting him.

The helmet around his head lacked nose or mouth yet it had two cavities for the eyes which were plain red and lacking iris: but they seemed to be a decoration more than his real eyes, too.

His shoulders were plain and didn't have a spheroid form unlike most Navis he had elbows and the armor over the hands included two small dome-shaped objects with the Alphabet "T" character colored in rainbow colors drawn upon them.

The armor extended across his legs, being thicker around the knees and ended in ellipsoid segments protecting his feet: rainbow-colored lines travelled down their length.

The main body was absent of decoration save for a pattern drawing the same Alphabet "T" letter in the middle of the chest the colors of which were constantly shifting and mixing.

Lastly, four large and irregularly-shaped wings formed behind him: its colors were also constantly shifting, too.

"So you were a Net Navi after all!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"Yeah! Call me_ Tabuu_." He announced.

"Taboo?" "CF" Blues wondered.

"Crap. _Déjà vu_… Write "Taboo" in _Katakana_!" He muttered.

"Ta – bu – u… And I must read it as it was a Japanese word, so… Tabuu. I see." "CF" Blues realized.

"Who programmed you? That Vadous guy did?" "CF" Netto asked.

"Wrong. I met him by pure chance. I'm an alien Net Navi." Tabuu corrected.

"More aliens…! Duo, Slur, Death Shadow, you… What's this, the Alien Data Living Beings Club or what?" "CF" Netto sarcastically cursed.

"Ya could say that." He shrugged.

"But your speech sounds like an Earth's Net Navi… That Vadous man taught you?" "CF" Laika guessed.

"Yeah. I spent about three years with him before I parted ways to investigate things: I'm an explorer. I catalog planets. But, unlike Duo, I never did anything to any planet out of "flawed-evolution Network"… The guy was somewhat lunatic." Tabuu explained.

"Yeah. He sure was." "CF" Blues agreed on it.

"How did you come here, anyway?" "CF" Laika questioned.

"I have powerful Time-Space abilities, but… It was an accident. I tried studying what could happen if I was to release some of my energy into empty space and I tore a hole into Time-Space which sucked me inside and had me end up in this precise spot of "Beyondard"..."

"And you'd already borrowed that Proto thing and copied that Serenade Navi before that?" Saito asked.

"No. I found out how to open a gateway there and returned to pick some stuff as well as to play around." He chuckled.

"Eh… So… There were "Alternates" of us there?" "CF" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I played with them a bit, too. I came up with some original ideas but I won't spoil them. Heh, heh, heh."

"And this battleground place is one of those "original ideas", then?" Blues questioned.

"Wasn't that obvious, folks?" He laughed.

"Get to the point." Search Man commanded.

"The point is… We're gonna have a battle. I want to test if you're good enough to protect the world from a new pinch." He announced.

"Good! I'm going all out on ya." "CF" Netto looked thrilled.

"Don't get cocky, otouto…" Saito grumbled.

Tabuu spread his wings and drew out two golden-colored Long Blade Battle Chips with a stylized handle with black root-like patterns on them: he grabbed them like normal swords.

"Cosmo Blade!"

He dashed forward and slashed to the left and right, leaving a deep cut on "CF" Netto's right shoulder and on "CF" Laika's left hip.

"Ack!"

"Grah!"

"Netto! Laika! Are you O.K.?" "CF" Blues asked.

"Strings of Fate!"

Several golden threads of energy came out of Tabuu's fingers and they coiled around various parts of "CF" Blues' body: his shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles and neck.

"What? I can't control my actions!" "CF" Blues uttered.

Tabuu moved him to in front of "CF" Netto, who was trying to recover from the sudden attack.

"Defeat him." He ordered.

"I won't!"

"Long Blade!"

"CF" Netto cut through the strings and "CF" Blues fell into his knees while being momentarily disoriented.

"Wonderful! I knew you were resourceful." Tabuu congratulated.

"You lowlife!"

"CF" Blues jumped towards him.

"Neo Variable Sword!"

He tried to attack his chest armor but his sword broke into several fragments: it didn't even lay a dent.

"What the…?" He uttered.

"Heh, heh, heh… _Aibou_ designed this armor to withstand the deadliest forces on the cosmos! Gamma rays, ion storms, star winds and so on! It's designed to even survive atmospheric re-entry, even!" He laughed.

"Damn it! Something must work on that!" "CF" Netto cursed.

"Why don't you guys take a nap?" Tabuu suggested.

"We're not in the mood for that." "CF" Laika drily replied.

"Pity...I'll have to force you to. Special Ability: Apocalypse-!"

He began to charge up energy.

"This looks bad! He's drawing out energy from the power core!" "CF" Laika exclaimed.

"Where is that? I'll blow it up!" "CF" Netto asked.

"It's… just below us!"

"CF" Netto looked downwards from the platform's rim and spotted a red spheroid inside of that "Dimensional Area" on the bottom point.

"Oh! Shit! How am I gonna access it? I can't "Cross Out" here! And I can't see how to pick up the necessary speed for that, unless I dropped down from here…" He cursed.

"Netto! That "Dimensional Area" may work different than the ones created on Earth. Remember: that one in those ruins of Duo's creators didn't need speed." "CF" Blues offered.

"Thanks for the idea! Here I go!"

"CF" Netto sprinted and jumped out of the platform.

"Barrier!"

"- NOW!"

Tabuu finished charging and unleashed three interconnected red-colored waves of energy which sent both "CF" Blues and "CF" Laika flying: it totally annihilated the platform they'd been fighting in.

"Ua~h!"

The two of them landed in another platform not too far from there and they were warped out.

"Heh, heh. My main interest is the Hikari Brothers. I want to see if they will live up to the name "Hikari"..." He muttered.

"Charge Shot!"

"CF" Netto shot a Charge Shot towards the "Dimensional Area": it passed right through it and pierced the core from the top to the bottom: the spheroid began to frizzle as "CF" Netto landed on the "Dimensional Area" top and easily entered inside of it thus landing on top of the core.

"I did it! Okay! Count Bomb!"

He drew out a bomb with a timer and put inside of the hole made by his Charge Shot attack.

"Heh, heh! I'm gonna play Bomber Man today. Let's go surprise that guy, niisan! Jet Vernier!"

"CF" Netto ignited the jets on his backpack and shot skywards: Tabuu was looking around the other platforms and didn't spot him coming from below him.

"Program Advance! Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

The blast hit Tabuu's chest and knocked him out of the sky and into a rock platform slowly flying across the sky: he crashed on it and ended up face-up there while being seemingly disoriented: his armor was totally smooth and intact.

"That didn't hurt the guy, either…! Guess he wasn't bluffing when he talked about that armor thing!" "CF" Netto muttered.

The Count Bomb detonated and the power core blew up in a brutal explosion: the "Dimensional Area" around it faded along with the whirlwind and the platforms: the circuitry-like sky seemed to be erasing itself as well.

"Netto – kun! This pocket dimension will soon lose the necessary energy to keep being connected to "Beyondard"! Hurry up and fly out of here before you're trapped inside!" Saito warned.

"Roger!"

He increased speed and spotted the "Fossa Ambience": he flew through it and he landed back into the top room of the tower before the "Fossa Ambience" closed behind him.

"Now that we're at it… Let's see if we can somehow disable this." He suggested.

He floated towards one of those slits and noticed that there was a lock holding some kind of card key in place: he broke it and pulled the card key out.

"Let's see what these key-like things are." He muttered.

He was surprised to see that it was a "Dimensional Element" like the ones installed in the antennas on top of the Science Labs: the thing was shining on its usual light and its circuitry could be clearly seen given how it'd been fitted with transparent plastic casing: it had Tabuu's logo imprinted on both of its faces as well.

"So! That's how it was. Tabuu replicated the "Dimensional Element" but then altered the "Dimensional Areas" to be a little different. I think he made a strange mix of technologies. I mean… The "Dimensional Element" alone should be enough, right? Why would he need the "Dimensional Converters", too?"

"Well. If you want this tower to also affect Earth then you need more energy. This must be the reason it took a hundred hours to charge up, see… Charging up "Dimensional Converters" is one thing. Charging up this much "Dimensional Element" is something else." Saito replied.

"If we remove the whole of the "Element" we may be able to at least cancel the "Dimensional Area" on Earth..." He suggested.

"It's worth a try."

Over the next minutes, "CF" Netto pulled out more of the "Dimensional Element": the conduits around it powered down with each one he'd removed: once he was done with them he looked at the hatch directly on the tip of the inverted cone.

"Hmmm… Aha!"

He found a lever labeled "EMERGENCY RELEASE" which he pulled.

"So! What happens?"

A cylinder slowly descended until it stopped at the ground: it had one last "Dimensional Element "placed in the exact center and this one looked a bit different than the others.

"This seems to be the main "Dimensional Element". It looks like this is set up so that once it's inserted, the charging sequence will commence."

"And now that I've pulled it out the whole tower will shut down?" He asked.

"Guess so. We better get out of here while we can." Saito replied.

"Yeah. If Tabuu could create that pocket dimension, he surely knows how to run out even if it loses its power core. Let's go back, niisan! To Earth we go!" "CF" Netto muttered.

The diamond – shaped "Dimensional Area" around the top of the tower powered down: "CF" Netto quickly broke the window and floated down with his jetpack.

"I better hope it allows me to get to the ground before it completely vanishes…" He muttered.

He managed to land down as the "Dimensional Area" finally vanished: he reverted out of "Cross Fusion" and placed the PET on its spot. Saito materialized and stretched.

"Well… We somehow managed to stun the guy. But I'm sure he'll be satisfied enough." Saito commented.

"Elemental, my dear Watson." A sarcastic voice rang out.

They turned around and gasped: Sidier was standing to the right of the entrance doors while wearing that mantle and grinning.

"Sidier!" Both gasped.

"Heh. This tower sure is something. Maybe we'll be borrowing it now that the guy doesn't need it anymore." He looked upwards.

Both began to head for the "Fossa Ambience" but Sidier snapped his right hand's fingers: a barrier made of small aligned diamonds formed in front of them.

"What do you want?" Netto demanded.

"I'm not finished yet. Listen: you "Net Saviors" will soon find yourselves to be powerless before the scheme we're about to pull into motion. Heh, heh, heh." Sidier chuckled.

"Show-off." Saito grumbled.

"I'm off. Enjoy your pyrrhic victory while you can!" He made a smug smile and looked amused.

He snapped his fingers again and vanished along with the barrier: both hurried to cross over while the "Eye" looked on from above the tower's tallest point.

"Well then… You win this round, Hikari Brothers. _Good luck_."

It morphed into the "Gufuu" avatar and he landed on the ground while looking slightly resigned and sighing.

"Now my problem is getting out of my own golden cage. What an irony that I didn't foresee this: am I as stupid as the guy who thought electronically-activated doors in the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator would be "cool" but didn't think what'd happen if there was a power loss? Heh, heh, heh, heh… Enjoy, Hikari Brothers… Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

19:31 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I bring news, my Lord."

"Good."

Sidier kneeled in front of Saruba's throne and Saruba looked slightly amused today.

"The enemy was an alien Net Navi named "Tabuu"…"

"Taboo?"

"Eh… If they write "Taboo" in _katakana_ and read it up as a Japanese word then…" He instructed.

"Ah. Tabuu. Gotcha. Pretty ironic. So?"

"He created some kind of pocket dimension to fight three "Net Saviors" but they pulled a stunt on him and managed to shut it off: we can assume he'll take a while to get out." He finished.

"Tee, heh, heh. Oh the taboo I'm going to break!" Somari made up a pun as she came in.

"Don't tell me it's another song." Saruba groaned.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. Who knows?"

"You do, Somari – chan…" He rolled his eyes.

"Let's taboo a tattoo." She made up a rhyme.

"How brilliant." He drily grumbled.

"Ain't it? Tee, heh, heh. Well. I'm off to diving with Roll DS. We're going to have some fun afterwards. Tee, heh, heh, heh."

Somari came out and both guys sighed in relief while Saruba formed a smug smile on his face.

"Let's get ready to move on with our newest scheme. Those guys won't see it coming. We'll prove to them we can achieve impressive feats when we set out minds to it, see… Heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	23. Chapter 22: Mystery hijacking

**Chapter 22: Mystery hijacking**

19:49 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 17th…

"… We are sorry to have you linger around here at such an hour. We're all tired, but we want to try to compose a clear picture from the data we've gathered."

A new meeting was being held in the Science Labs: most of the "Cross Fusion" users didn't look tired at all and seemed awake enough to participate.

"So, Mr. T's real name is Tabuu: an extraterrestrial Net Navi who also comes from _another Universe_. He seems to want to test how we'd react when taken to limits and making sure we don't contradict ourselves as protectors of society." Meijin summarized.

"Yeah. And he's thought: none of our two attacks got to leave the slightest trace of a wound on his armor." Netto shrugged.

"You heard his list: it's supposed to survive anything." Saito brought up while scratching his hair with his right hand.

"Yeah. And it'd seem he got stuck inside of his own pocket dimension, so he won't be able to do much while inside of there, I'd say." Enzan calmly commented.

"I will admit that he seems to be fond of dramatics: the way that Serenade Navi exploded made it look like a fallen saint. Maybe it was a cruel joke given how he's supposed to be a guardian in the place the guy came out from." Laika drily muttered.

"And Sidier also claims that they're up to something big… It's picking me, really." Miyabi muttered.

"Maybe they just want to make us feel nervous." Yuriko shrugged.

"Sure: they're mean to begin with." Meiru grinned.

"I have a question." Pride announced.

"What is your question, Princess?" Yuuichirou asked.

"I understand that the tower was built for the sole purpose of covering both worlds in a "Dimensional Area". However… It's been bothering me. _How_ do you hide something like that? The people of "Beyondard" would've noticed if something like that was being built even if it was in such a remote spot: it was tall enough to be seen from multiple spots after all." She exposed.

"That's a good question. And we think we know the answer." Yuuichirou admitted.

"According to one "Beyondard" witness, the tower, seen from the outside, was covered in a big "Dimensional Area" which made it hard to discern its shape. Maybe that "Dimensional Area" was configured to be so thick as to not allow any light to pass through it." Meijin explained.

"But… Even if that was the case… They would have seen the "Dimensional Area", wouldn't they?" She asked.

"We think that he could also have altered its spectrum to make it invisible to the naked eye like what happened here."

"I understand. Thank you. By the way… Laika. No answer as of yet, it'd seem?" She suddenly asked him.

"Ah… I'm afraid not." He blushed.

"Laika… Princess – sama is teasing ya! You should be proud of it. What's your trick?" Airstar joked.

"Charlie!" Tesla looked annoyed.

"If I bother you so much then why don't ya go elsewhere?" He calmly suggested to her.

"Hmpf!" She played the offended.

"Laika – san is fortunate: a bird stepped ahead of me." Meiru made a sinister grin.

Enzan kept his poker face and didn't seem to have heard her at all: Netto was apparently busy doing something with his PET.

"Meiru – chan! Don't bring that out here!" Roll scolded in a hushed tone and sounding nervous.

"Don't worry. I've got everything under control." She replied.

"No good, no good…" Roll grimly muttered.

"Oi! Nenjiro! Be glad! We won the day!"

"I AIN'T NENJIRO~!" Napalm Man roared.

The Link PET suddenly became hot and Rokushakudama dropped it on the desk as he tried to cool his hands by blowing into them.

"It's late. You call go home and rest." Yuuichirou smiled at them.

"… Huh… Cell phone…? Boss. What timing, really…"

Eva had been playing "Mistress" with Max when his cell phone started to ring out: Max had a small string bitten with his teeth connected to his nipples clothes pegs and pulling them upwards: a third cloth peg was gripping the foreskin around the cock's head and Eva was pulling at a string connected there.

"I'll pick it. Don't move and don't release the string." Eva commanded to him.

Max merely nodded in understanding while Eva picked the cell phone up and pressed the "reply" button.

"Max?"

"He's in the bathroom." Eva replied.

"Ah. Eva. Is he really on the bathroom or you're keeping him busy?" Tabuu questioned.

"Eh…" She trailed off.

"Whatever. As long as you remember that you're equals, then I don't mind your games." He sounded like he was shrugging.

"Eh… Boss has orders for us?" Eva asked.

"Yeah. I'm kind of stuck somewhere but I'll find a way out… Try to monitor the _triumvirate_'s activities. I'm sure they're up to something big. Make a recollection of news and such. I'll read those when I have time." Tabuu commanded.

"By the way… Is it true that Boss is a Net Navi?" Eva asked.

"Yeah. I liked playing around with suspense until the very end. But don't mind it: I'm busy enough finding my way outta my own stuff." Tabuu shrugged again.

"Roger, Boss."

"Good. Remember: don't push Max too far. I know he likes that and you do, but there are limits to things."

"Yes, Boss… Gotcha." She gulped.

"Good. Later." Tabuu sounded slightly satisfied.

Eva sighed in relief and left the phone in the desk before resuming pulling the string: Max's inner muscles began to suck anal beads in at a slow and intermittent rate.

"Well! You heard Boss. We'll have to watch out for those guys. But we can play a bit before that, too. Tee, heh, heh." She told Max.

The entrance bell suddenly rang and she frowned.

"Wait here." She ordered.

She put her tunic on and walked out into a small lobby which only had a small desk and a chair: she looked at the outside through the CCTV camera and saw a man who looked like a pizza delivery guy with two cardboard boxes.

"Pizza delivery!" He announced.

"… Wait a minute." She muttered while frowning.

"Pizza delivery!"

Eva quickly returned to the main room and stopped next to Max.

"Max. Did you order pizza for tonight?" She asked.

Max quickly negated with the head.

"A thief or a kidnapper… Hmpf. I know how to shake 'em off." She guessed with a smug smile.

She walked back into the lobby and engaged the microphone.

"May I recall your attention to the fact that a police inspector has been following you for the last 45 minutes?" She asked.

"Ya~h!"

The man dropped the boxes (which were revealed to be empty) and ran away like he was going to be slaughtered alive.

"Tee, heh, heh. Boss' motto came in handy. That guy won't dare dropping by here anymore." She giggled.

She then came back into the main room and looked at Max: she shrugged and took the cloth peg on his cock off, thus allowing him to release: he let go of the string and panted as well.

"Tee, heh, heh."

Eva slowly pulled the beads out and watched how Max released a second time before she unlocked his ankles and forearms: he took out his blindfold and stretched.

"Good trick chasing that guy off, Eva – chan." He grinned.

"Heh. Boss' motto was useful." She shrugged.

"Ah… I feel ready to fight a hundred grunts." Max sounded energetic.

"Good. It'd seem you can draw strength from that, too." Eva sounded interested.

"I'll go prepare the supper." He announced.

_Yeah, go ahead, but… Boss must have his reasons to be concerned about the _triumvirate… _Are they up to something?_

13:03 PM (Cape Town Time)…

"… Hum. Not a cloud on sight…"

Some sailors were chatting on the deck of a tanker named "Kamerraden" was navigating across the Atlantic Ocean: the ship had a logo of a petroleum conglomerate on its aft below the ship's name.

"Yeah. This cargo goes to the United Arab Emirates after the stop at Cape Town yesterday."

"Huh? What's that?"

Some data popped out of nowhere and assembled on the deck's bow section to give way to Sidier and his three warriors: they all drew their weapons and aimed them at the crew.

"W-what?" One wondered.

"Uh… That chick looks too evil for my taste." Another muttered.

"Ne-Net Navis…!" Another gasped.

"Listen! We've taken over this ship's systems. You're to evacuate it and you have six hours to do that. A nearby ship is heading here and it'll immediately pick you people up. So don't complain because we're not acting like old-fashioned pirates to begin with." Sidier announced as he drew a sword.

This sword was colored black and had a slightly curved shape along with a small purple-like sphere on the spot where the handle and blade fused: it had a slightly menacing vibe too.

"Under whose authority?" The Captain questioned.

"Emperor S – sama: leader of the Dark Realm. And our weapons are real and we're Net Navis. In short: you stand no chance of resisting. Heh, ehh, heh, heh… Let terror and fear happen!" Sidier calmly replied.

"Che. Men! Prepare to evacuate!" The Captain commanded.

"Yes, sir…" Many voices grimly muttered.

16:09 PM (Cape Town Time)…

"… No – one remains on board save for us, Sidier – sama. The UN patrol ship is already picking those guys up."

"Good. All is going according to schedule."

Sidier and Search Man DS were standing on the tanker's control desk and looking out at the calm ocean.

"Start cloaking mode." Sidier commanded.

"Roger."

Search Man DS inputted some commands into the ship's control computer and a stealth field projected around the ship: it began to move and head towards the north – east.

"Eh… Sidier – sama. What do we do with the jet below the bow?" Roll DS asked as she walked in along with Zero DS.

"We'll soon replace it by the appropriate vehicle. _Strategy D_ will be left apart for a while. We're now going to begin Omicron Scheme: it'll be something important so discretion and secrecy is of the utmost importance to its success." Sidier told them with a grin.

"Heh. It sounds cool." Zero DS sounded amused.

"It isn't just "cool": it's magnificent." Sidier corrected with a smile.

"Heh. The dive was worth it: that bog has so many cool spots below it which are worth exploring." Roll DS grinned.

"Sure." Search Man DS shrugged.

"Heh. And the Fortress' rooms' simulations are improving: we're now investigating particle physics too." Zero DS added.

"Oh? Guess I'll check them out one day."

"Sure thing. Come anytime, Boss."

"Heh, heh, heh… If only they knew… Oh. It'll be exquisite…!"

23:20 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Good night to all of our viewers! This is Midorikawa Kero from DNN News. Latest news: a private South African Petroleum Conglomerate tanker was hijacked by an unknown party while in route to the United Arab Emirates from Cape City. The crew was ordered to abandon ship and was given three hours to do so. They have already been rescued by a UN ship which was called there: the tanker's current whereabouts are unknown. Regarding the party that hijacked it the crew said it was a party of four _Net Navis_. They claimed that they were taking over it under the authority of the "Dark Realm". That's all that information available right now. There will be more on the days to come. Stay tuned!"

Midorikawa smiled at the camera after finishing her report.

"… What a coincidence…! Boss called us to have us watch over these guys and they already made a move barely half a day after the Grand Tower Battle…"

"Tee, heh, heh."

Max and Eva were looking at the TV around 21:00 PM hours: Max looked curious while Eva (having changed into night gown and bath robe) giggled.

"Whatever… Things will get interesting!" She shrugged.

"Guess so… But the problem will be finding that tanker… I could try looking up the ownership and if it has anything special to it." Max lifted his eyebrows.

Eva glanced at her right as Max leaned over the right side of the armchair and looked at the TV: part of his bath robe was open around the chest revealing that Max still had the clothes pegs on his nipples on.

"When will you take that out?" Eva asked.

"Huh? Oh. I hadn't realized I still had them on. I'm so used to them by now…" Max looked at them.

"It'll be no good for your body if you abuse of it. Take them off, will ya, Max?" Eva told him while rolling her eyes.

Max calmly took them off and stored them on his bath robe right pocket before looking towards the TV again.

"Well… I'll go hit the sack. I need to run several errands tomorrow." Max repressed a yawn.

"Good. I'll be hitting it soon, too. I don't want to pick up bad habits like a bored housewife." She muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Uh-unh… Good night."

Max climbed into the bed after putting on his pajamas and taking off the bath robe: he was soon sleeping while Eva was seemingly thinking about something given her bored or uninterested face.

_A tanker… But the oil is not their interest and I'm sure they picked this one for a reason to begin with. There's something hidden behind a bloody curtain of deceit…_

She frowned and looked annoyed at her line of thought: she then switched off the TV and climbed into the bed while still looking displeased or annoyed.

_Yamikawa… If you think you can escape Boss' eyes then think it again. Boss is _everywhere_… _

"Hey. Max."

"Hmmm?"

"Wanna eat Rupees?" She joked.

"Oh come on." He groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh."

"It's almost midnight!" He protested.

"Who knows?"

"Lovely!" He fumed.

"Ain't it? Tee, heh, heh… Let's have a nap and tomorrow… It'll be fun!"

23:14 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Niisan…"

"Hmmm?"

"Blues is gonna use lipstick next."

"Oh come on. Aren't you tired from today?"

"Who knows?"

"You do, Netto – kun! Please let me sleep."

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Netto was joking to Saito while they were on the bed and he wasn't amused in the least: Netto grinned and Saito was annoyed.

"Well! Enzan is going to have you kiss his feet."

"No way…"

"Heh. My little payback, otouto – chan."

"Sure, sure…" Netto looked skeptical.

"How the tables have turned! Haven't they, otouto – chan?" Saito formed a broad grin.

"Please! Quit the "-chan" thing!" He protested.

"Then tell Meijin – san he's Mejin – sama."

"Sure, sure… Man. It isn't funny anymore when ya turn the whole thing around like it was a bottle…" He sighed.

"Point taken? Let's sleep already: I'm beaten."

Saito fell asleep and Netto sighed as he glanced at the curtains covering the balcony's sliding doors.

_Jeez. I want to pull a joke or two and he turns the thing around: Saito – niisan can be sneaky when he wants to. Whatever. I'm tired too so I gotta nap… Weekend's about to start… Heh, heh, heh!_


	24. Chapter 23: Self quest

**Chapter 23: Self quest**

09:03 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 18th…

"… Unh… Saturday… Feels good… Huh?"

Netto sat up on his bed and stretched: he looked around and spotted that Saito wasn't there.

"Hum. And it's just 9:00 AM… He sure is an early bird!" He muttered.

He climbed out of the bed and entered the bathroom: he rubbed his face with cold water and then headed downstairs: Haruka was humming a tune as she read the daily newspapers and the breakfast was set on the table.

"Huh? Saito – niisan already had breakfast, Mama?"

"Yep. He told me he had something which he wanted to do alone. He picked the PET and left half an hour ago. He promised to be back before lunch time." Haruka replied.

"Hum…" Netto looked surprised as he sat down on the chair.

"Netto. I know you and Saito are always together, but… He needs some time of his own. He's just coming to terms with something which had troubling him for years." Haruka turned serious and sat down in front of him.

"Huh? What? Ah. He thinks he isn't part of the family?"

"That's one thing. But that began because he questioned himself too much: he thought he lived to be a _replacement_ to the Saito who died when he was about 5 years old. In short: he didn't believe himself to be Saito. He believed he was there to copy him." Haruka sighed.

"W-what…?" Netto turned pale.

"Can you see? It was devouring him, poor child. Although we both insisted and his fear faded when he was working together with you, it would keep on troubling him… But ever since August, when he permanently began to live in the real world, this fear increased. You saw his mania of insisting that he was a Navi and not a human." Haruka continued.

"Saito – niisan…" Netto muttered.

"And now that he can eat and drink like a person, he seems to have finally come to terms with himself that he's always been the real Saito. He just reincarnated as a Net Navi. But he's not an imposter or an imitator: he's the original one." Haruka sighed.

"If only I'd known…"

"I think, though, that another thing which is bugging him is his moral responsibility as the elder son. He seems to believe he's not good enough of an elder brother for you to look up as reference, Netto. He told me he thought he'd always been childish, but I reassured him it was natural. Just because he's 13 years old that doesn't mean he should behave like an adult." Haruka explained.

"I see… That's why he always ended up letting me do what I wanted because he wasn't sure of how to try to dissuade me…" Netto muttered.

"So let's let him go alone for some hours. He'll come back refreshed and most surely will have settled his doubts." Haruka told Netto.

"Yeah. Now I can understand Saito – niisan better… He really needed time to settle his doubts… And since he didn't want to scare me, he always played the strong in front of me… That's how he was… That's how he behaves like…" Netto nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I know. But! Don't tell him I spoke to you about this… Deal?" Haruka warned.

"Yeah. I get it, Mama. Thanks for telling me." Netto made a weak smile.

"You're maturing, Netto. You deserved knowing this. Saito will improve himself and shed his fears aside." Haruka patted his right shoulder.

She resumed reading the newspapers while Netto had his breakfast and seemed to be thinking about it.

_Saito – niisan… I never doubted you: to me, you've always been the most important person in the world. I want you to forget those doubts and be as always: a kind person. _

09:24 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff."

Saito was sitting on a bench in the public gardens and looking down or troubled: he had his Link PET attached to the strap and was intercrossing his hand's fingers.

_Let's settle it already. I'm Hikari Saito: the one and real. I never was a replacement or an imitator. No. Papa wanted to save my life, to allow me to continue living. If not, he wouldn't have extracted my memories and consciousness from my human brain. No. I'm real. I exist. I now can eat and drink, too… I'm slowly returning to what I was. But… I can't shake off the feeling that I'm not a good enough niisan to Netto – kun. I always spoil him too much. I know: I get strict when it comes to homework, but… Maybe strictness is out of character for me. Another thing… I'm always yelling when I get hit or beaten in a fight… I thought real guys don't go yelling in such a childish manner… Mama told me even though I'm 13 by now, that doesn't mean I should think like I was 18, but… _

He sighed and leant his head backwards while closing his eyes: he slowly articulated his hands' fingers and began those relaxation exercises: he then opened his eyes again and he looked calmer.

_Ah. These exercises sure come in handy… What was I going over? Ah. The pain stuff… Hmmm… Maybe… If I could try to instead of letting out keep it inside and draw strength from in… But who could help me? _Buruusu_ wouldn't: he'll never inflict harm to me. Even Shadow Man wouldn't want to by now. Guts Man is slow and although I could easily trick him into a Net Battle, I don't think he's the right person, either… Now I'm in a tight spot too… What can I do? How can I solve it?_

"… Want some bread?" Someone offered.

"Yeah. Thank you." He replied without looking.

He picked a piece of bread with his right hand and began munching it: he noticed someone sitting down at his right but didn't bother to look over there: he seemed to be still absorbed in thoughts.

_Wait. That voice… Don't I know it? And here I am, eating bread without checking who gives it to me…_

He turned to his right and gasped: Max was sitting there.

"M-Max!" He gasped.

"You looked somewhat down, so I thought you hadn't had breakfast or something like that…" Max told him.

"Why are you here?"

"I was just getting the fresh bread: I'm the errands boy, after all." Max shrugged and signaled a bag with two _baguettes_ on it.

"… Yeah. That's it. You're the person I need, Max." Saito suddenly told him while sounding like he'd had an idea.

"Huh? Sorry?" Max seemed to frown under the sunglasses.

"Take those out: I want to have an honest talk with you. I think you're the only capable of understanding me." Saito told him.

Max looked surprised but he took out his sunglasses and pocketed it on the right pocket.

"… Max… When you first gained awareness of yourself… What did you feel? Did you think that it was a mockery to live on as the copy of someone? Didn't that make you feel angry with Tabuu?"

"Eh… No. I thought I should be glad of having been given this opportunity to live and be Boss' agent…" Max scratched the back of his head.

"Be glad of… being alive…" Saito muttered.

"Eh… You've been having trouble coping with the idea that you've always been the real Saito and not an imitator?" Max guessed.

"Yeah. But… Wait. Max. What motivates you to be a masochist?" Saito asked in a hushed tone.

"Eh… Well… That's… I thought I could improve pain handling compared to you by taking it in and drawing strength from it…"

"Drawing strength from it…"

"I actually end up stronger after the playtime…" Max slowly admitted while blushing and looking nervous.

"Pain… Handle the pain… Take it in… And draw strength… To become stronger…" Saito seemed to be taken in by the idea.

"B-but wait a mint! That's my case. Yours is different, Saito! You've been in tens of battles and you got hurt a lot. I haven't been in any. I can't be used as comparison." Max hastily argued.

"I know. But… If I want to be a stronger niisan for Netto – kun who doesn't depend on him the whole time… I want to be able to handle pain and be able to fight properly." Saito muttered.

"I guess you won't shake that idea off no matter what I say." Max guessed while looking slightly worried.

"… Max. You still play with Eva, right?"

"Yeah. But you can't be thinking of…" Max seemed to suspect Saito's line of thought.

"… Huff. I'd thought a Net Battle could do, but… No. A Net Battle won't be enough to do it. I want to test all of my flesh's sensitivity. And it's the only way… Max. Take me to your house. I want to do it along with you." Saito muttered before speaking with him.

"Are you really sure? Eva - chan won't hold back, you know." Max whispered to him.

"Good enough. I don't want a toned down thing. I want the real thing. I'll become stronger."

"Can't be helped… But what will Netto – kun say?"

"He doesn't need to know anything about this. I have the right to my privacy and he'll obviously respect it." Saito shrugged.

"Eh, hum… But I guess you have a set time to return home, right?" Max suspected.

"Yeah. I have to be back around 12:30 PM. But it's just 9:45 AM. There's plenty of time." Saito replied as he stood up.

"Follow me, then." Max looked amused by now.

Max picked his bag and Saito calmly followed him across the streets and they headed towards the east.

"By the way, Max… Do you know anything about that tanker hijacking thing?" Saito asked.

"I looked it up: the tanker isn't a real tanker. It doesn't hold oil. The whole bow has been designed to contain a plane inside and transform into a runway for its take-off and landing. Since the owners are a Petroleum Conglomerate then it's no wonder that they can afford such a ship." He explained.

"So they must want to use the plane… But what would they gain? They can warp things around and those Thanatos robots are no exception, either." Saito frowned.

"I'm still looking into it… I told Boss and he's waiting for an update while he tries to get out of his "golden cage"."

"He's still stuck there?" Saito sounded surprised.

"It'd seem that the use of his "Special Ability" made him lose a lot of energy and he was counting on the power core to recharge him, so he's unable to open stable enough "Fossa Ambiences". The only thing which can get out through those is voice data traffic. He's trying to rebuild the core, too, but it's taking a while: you two busted it into minuscule shards after all." He detailed.

"Huh… But he's not annoyed?"

"Well. He's annoyed at his own silliness for not coming up with a backup or working over his Time Space abilities. But he admits you pulled a nice stunt worth of James Bond into him." Max grinned.

"I'd never guessed he was fond of James Bond, too. For an alien Net Navi he sure acts like a human one." Saito grinned.

"Truth is… That house… It used to be an Army Detention Center back in the 1930s, but it was abandoned and shut down after WWII… We refurbished it and cleansed it including all painting on the walls and the dried blood which were on the basement…" Max whispered.

"Yikes! And given how people who knew the place would fear it, no one would snoop in there… That's why Tabuu picked it up?"

"Yeah. Boss thought it was just like a police station, but… You can imagine the uses the Army had for it…" Max hushed.

"Uh. Well… You can't expect an alien to understand what "government torture center" means." Saito gulped.

"Sorry to have scared you. But these things are reminders of our country's mistakes." Max apologized.

"Ah. Eva hasn't had breakfast yet, I guess?"

"No. She likes fresh bread. I simply unfreeze the one in the freezer to make a sandwich. I'm in charge of cooking and cleansing while Eva – chan takes care of the monetary stuff." Max confirmed.

"Well… I use to help at home, too, so… It's more or less the same thing, I'd say." Saito shrugged.

"I'll ask again: are you really disposed to go through that again?" Max asked him in a whisper.

"Yeah. Record it, too. It'll stimulate me."

"I see nothing will make you stray from it… So be it." Max shrugged.

They reached a recently re-painted house at the corner of one street: it looked normal enough and the door had an extra lock to its frame.

"Safety: we don't want any grunts breaking in." Max told him.

He rummaged on his left pocket and took out a set of two keys: he opened the door and they stepped into the barely furnished lobby: Max locked it again behind them and he made a sign to Saito: he then popped his head out in the main room: it was empty.

"Eh… I'm home!" He called out.

"Good! Leave the bread on the kitchen: I'll go have breakfast." Eva replied from inside of the bathroom.

Saito followed Max into the kitchen and they sat down around the small table.

"Want some water?" Max offered.

"Thanks."

He picked a glass from an overhead cupboard and then grabbed a bottle of water from a shelf: he served some water into it and then handed it to Saito: he slowly drank it up and then left it on the table.

"Ah. I felt thirsty for some reason or another." He muttered.

They heard heel footsteps and Eva came into the kitchen while wearing street clothes: a red wool sweater with yellow patterns drawn into its surface and jeans: she sported black heeled shoes.

"Well, Max, that bakery you've found is good and…! Saito! What the heck is the guy doing here?" She'd begun saying only to gasp.

"Good morning." He dully greeted.

"Max. Explain this." Eva commanded.

"Well… I happened to meet him by coincidence on the public gardens and we had a nice little chat… He wishes to become better at handling pain and the only thing which he could think of was coming here… I tried telling him off, but… He won't be satisfied with anything else. He wants to look stronger to Netto – kun's eyes because he thought he wasn't serious enough with himself." Max explained.

"Yeah. That sums it up. I've always been bothered by how I was always yelling and such… I want to be able to bring pain to my flesh and yet end up stronger from it… Maybe I'm somewhat jealous of Max, even." He sighed.

"… Well… If you really want to…" Eva seemed to doubt, for once.

"Tabuu doesn't need to get a hold of this. He'll be more concerned with the_ triumvirate_. And even if he does… I did it of my own will."

"We could make it sound like he wants to forgive us a little bit." Max suggested.

"… Fine. You won't mind being filmed, either?" Eva seemed to be getting in the mood.

"Yeah. Go ahead. Film me. I know you put masks on us, anyway." Saito shrugged.

"Yikes! You found them?" Max gasped.

"Yeah. It wasn't too hard: the uploader was named "Eris", so I thought it was an irony on "Eva"." Saito admitted.

"Correct. Eris was the Greek goddess of discord. And the Adam & Eva myth blames her for humanity's disgraces. It was obviously written by some _intelligent_ men." She replied while emphasizing the sarcasm on "intelligent".

"Since Eva – chan needs to have breakfast and then get changed… Let's go gear up in the meanwhile." Max suggested.

"Sure." Saito calmly stood up.

"Good. I'll be ready in about 20 minutes."

Both exited the kitchen: Max headed to the storeroom and opened a suitcase to reveal a spare S&M gear set: Saito picked it up and opened his vest and buttoned shirt to reveal his chest.

"Hmmm… Now that I look back on it, your chest is very well shaped. It makes you horny at a first glance." Max grinned.

"Heh. Raoul's advice came in handy." Saito grinned.

He calmly took those out and stored them on the suitcase after folding them up: he then took out his shoes and left the socks inside of them before he unfastened his jeans' belt and folded them inside of the suitcase: he then stood firm on his boxers and inclined his head.

"Oh. I see." Max realized.

He lowered Saito's boxers and had a close look at his stiff cock and balls: he teased them with his fingers before standing up.

"I'll gear myself up." Saito announced.

"Do as you like." Max invited.

Saito calmly picked the leather bands and began adjusting them around his body along with the pieces on his forearms and ankles: he finished by putting on the band around his neck.

"Good. I'll gear next." Max looked amused.

"I'll be waiting outside." Saito told him.

He exited the storeroom and spotted the bathroom: he headed over to it and looked at his body: he calmly examined each angle and looked satisfied with that.

"This time… It's out of my own will. No program is messing with my head to force me to undergo it." He muttered.

He exited back in the main room and spotted Max coming out of the storeroom as well.

"You had it on already under your clothes." Saito guessed.

"Yeah. It saves time up."

Eva came out of the kitchen and stopped to look at them: Saito stood firm and calm without showing the slightest sign of a blush or of embarrassment: Eva walked closer and gripped his balls: Saito merely lifted the right eyebrow.

"Heh. Good self-control… You're being serious. I like serious people. Well then… I'll go gear myself up. Max: you're in the chair today. Saito: do me a favor and finish gearing him up." Eva muttered before instructing.

"Roger." Saito dully replied.

"Hmmm… The chair… It'll be thrilling."

Eva giggled and headed over to her room: she picked a suitcase and then shut in the bathroom while locking the door from the inside.

"Hum."

Saito walked over to Max and locked his forearms: Max calmly sat down on the chair and signaled a large wooden box: Saito rummaged inside and picked the steel bar to force Max to keep his legs open: he set it and then began using the rope to immobilize Max into the chair: he made sure to tie very tightly around the ankles and both above and below his nipples.

"Good. Tight rope makes me feel horny already." Max sounded amused as he looked at it.

"So it'd seem." Saito made a sinister smile.

He picked the clothes pegs with the string and placed them on his nipples: Max didn't even seem to notice they were there.

"I'm going for the last touches."

"Good. Go for it." Max grinned.

Saito put the leather band with the spheroid on Max's mouth and he finished by placing the blindfold on him.

"Preparations: complete." He muttered.

The bathroom door unlocked and Eva came out while wearing the usual black tunic over her leather suit.

"Today will be a bit different: I'll be taking part as well." She announced with a sinister smile.

"Fine. It'll make it better." Saito shrugged.

"Since you're so willing to, I'll give you a treat…" Eva grinned.

She opened the cloak to let Saito see and he looked rather surprised at the outfit and upon spotting the strap-on.

"Ah… Girls can use that to play with boys and other girls?" Saito guessed while trying to look calm.

"Yeah. It's very effective." She grinned.

"I don't doubt it. I'm ready anytime… Mistress." He announced before adding the honorific.

"Ah… You're gonna play along. Good, good. Tee, heh, heh." Eva sounded rather amused.

She closed the cloak and geared Saito up as well: she had him sit on his knees and then headed over to the camera: she turned it on.

"Show: start."

She attached a chain to Saito's neck ring and tugged it: Saito calmly moved forward with his knees and began smelling and rubbing Max's balls and cock with his nose.

"Do a good blowjob." She commanded.

She removed the spheroid and Saito calmly began to pull the foreskin back with his tongue: he wrapped it around the head and then swept it across the urethra.

"Tee, heh, heh."

He suddenly noticed how Eva had put a 5cm vibrator on his insides and turned it on: Saito increased the pace while Eva headed over to behind Max and began stuffing the anal beads into him: Max began to slowly suck them in.

"Tee, heh, heh. Keep at it." She giggled.

Saito increased the pace until Max released: his insides gripped another of the beads and made it be swallowed inside: Saito suddenly released and stained his own face and torso.

"Good slaves. Let's have you couple together." Eva eagerly announced.

She picked Saito up and removed one of the ends of the steel bar to help him move forward and then lowered his body so that Max's cock would go inside of him before she closed the other end of the bar and chained their necks together: she took Max's spheroid out and moved him forward.

"Make some nice lovers' kisses." She ordered.

Max and Saito began to share a kiss while Saito moved up and down along Max's length: it rubbed against the vibrator as well.

"Now." Eva muttered.

Saito released and stained Max's face and upper torso: he began to lick it off and they began a new kiss to then break apart when the white string became visible.

"Let's heat this up." Eva giggled.

She detached them and moved Saito behind Max: she chained them together again and plugged Max's cock: she then put the ring at the end of the beads' string on Saito's cock and stuffed her strap-on into him from behind.

"How does it feels to have the whole width of your insides being used, slave? Make some agonic poses: the public appreciates them." She whispered.

Saito complied and began to pull the anal beads: Max's neck leant forward and back while tugging Saito along: Eva used his right hand to start putting clothes pegs on the underside of Saito's balls: she also pulled the string connecting the clothes pegs upwards.

"Agony. Pain. They will drive you to the limit." She announced for the camera.

Saito's cock arched forward and back: Eva plugged it as well while the ritual kept on: he eventually pulled the last of Max's beads out and Eva allowed him to release before plugging it back and tying some thin ropes around the base of the cock to keep it hard: she also clipped the clothes pegs on his balls.

"Go, slave. There'll be plenty of room for your cock." She commanded as she pulled some of the balls' clothes pegs downwards.

Saito stuffed his cock into Max's insides and began moving in and out while Eva kept on slamming into his insides.

"Heh!"

Eva took out the plug and quickly forced Saito to go inside again: he released inside of Max and then stood still.

"Good enough."

She unchained them and put Saito's vibrator into Max's insides while she placed the beads into Saito's insides: she moved Saito to be in front of Max while standing and had him stuff his cock into Max's open mouth while chaining them: Max's convulsions pulled or pushed Saito closer or further while he took the cock into his mouth.

"Good, good… I like this style!"

Eva kept on forcing the beads into Saito's insides: she then attached the ring to Max's cock and attached a small vibrator to its head: the shaking of the cock began to pull Saito's beads out as Eva moved in and out of Max.

"Tee, heh, heh. What a dirty display!" She muttered aloud for the camera to pick up.

Saito ended up releasing once Max finished pulling all of his beads out: Eva unplugged him and let him release as well: she then lubricated the strap-on with their white liquid and had them lick along its surface before they shared another kiss.

"One last pose and we'll be done…" She muttered with a hint of evil.

She turned Saito around and had him sit down on Max's lap to allow his cock to go into the totally opened insides: Saito was left facing forward and Eva hardened his cock while plugging it up.

"Here! Eat up."

She suddenly stuffed her strap-on into Saito from the front while she placed the beads into Max's insides yet again.

"How is it, slave? Feeling the pain?" She announced for the camera.

She began pulling all of Saito's balls' clothes pegs and his cock got hard all of a sudden.

"Hmpf!"

She then placed three of her right hand's fingers around its head and slowly turned it around clockwise: Saito seemed to be in ecstasy, even, given how some muffled moans could be heard despite the spheroid blocking his mouth.

"Tee, heh, heh. Good… This is enough. Welcome to the white world: free of mortal sins!" She eagerly announced.

She took out the plug and Saito released: he triggered Max's release as well and both hung their head down while panting from the effort done: Eva switched off the camera.

"It was fun, yeah."

She then removed their spheroids and heard to their pants as they tried to recover their breath.

"Well, Saito? Do you feel stronger?"

"Y-yeah… I owe you… a big one…" Saito admitted.

"Good. What do you think of it, Max?" Eva questioned him next.

"Y-yup… Saito looked like he let pain guide him to pleasure… My instincts told me so…" Max added.

"What time is it?"

"Eh… 10:30 AM." Eva replied.

"Ah. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be late: it looked longer to me but guess that's to be expected." Saito calmly replied.

"Heh, heh… You're some inches larger than me, Saito… It creates a funny sensation…" Max told him.

"Heh. Guess so…"

"Wait a min: I'll unlock you two." She told them.

"Roger."

She unlocked the ankles and the forearms: Saito detached from Max and slowly took his clothes pegs on his balls out while Eva undid Max's ropes: he also took his stuff out and left the blindfold for the last.

"Could we do it again tomorrow?" Saito suddenly asked.

"Sure. Come anytime." Eva invited.

"If you want to have your own life, then you can make your choices." Max offered.

"Good enough. I'll wash a bit."

He calmly headed towards the bathroom and shut the door while Max picked the stuff and put it on a plastic basin: Saito came out after washing his face and Max headed inside: he cleansed everything with soap and applied alcohol disinfectant.

"Gotta make sure they're disinfected…"

Saito headed to the storeroom and put his clothes on over the gear: he finished with them and return to find Max changed up as well.

"Find me at the garden's same spot tomorrow at the same hour, Max."

"I'll ring you guys if we get something new about the _triumvirate_ and what the heck they want to do with that ship." Max confirmed.

"Well. Mr. Muscles here is good enough, after all." Eva pinched Max's right cheek.

"Mr. Muscles, huh…" Max didn't seem to find it funny.

Max unlocked the door and Saito stepped out as he locked it up from the inside: he smiled and hummed the _Star Wars_ theme as he headed back.

_I've done it. I've felt pain but let it turn into strength. I'll become a strong niisan to whom you can look up to, Netto – kun. What matters now is that we need to be strong to battle the _triumvirate_… But if we call Han Solo and his Millennium Falcon, he'll have them play hide-and-seek in the Hoth Asteroid Field… Heh, heh, heh! Spend your time trying to find out if you're in a cave or inside of a gigantic space worm! Heh, heh, heh!_


	25. Chapter 24: Leadless

**Chapter 24: Leadless**

03:44 AM (Cape Town Time), Saturday February the 18th…

"… Night. Ain't it lovely, Search?"

The stolen tanker had been parked there and very close to the steep walls around it: pitch-black night tinted the area.

"Will you please quit that nickname, Roll?"

Roll DS was seemingly teasing Search Man DS as they played _shogi_ while glancing at the radar screen from time to time: he looked somewhat exasperated while she was leaning her right foot over his.

"Heh, heh, heh." Zero DS chuckled as he checked the CCTV camera footage across the ship.

"Zero. You're noisy." Search Man DS grumbled.

"Come on, Search… We ain't gonna quarrel between ourselves like neophytes, are we?"

"No. But I don't think teasing is part of our moral code." Search Man DS dully replied.

"Ah. But Ophiucus Queen DS is always teasing Purple, so… It amuses me how he tried to make Black take that on. Tee, heh, heh." Roll DS giggled and sounded amused.

"You mean the Gemini Spark DS twins…" Search Man DS looked unimpressed.

"Ah. But you don't see the point. Purple acts just like Rock Man while Black acts like that guy's Operator… And they were designed several years before those two showed up, too! Ironies in life, I guess, or so Emperor S – sama told me." Roll DS grinned.

"Emperor S – sama told you?" Search Man DS looked surprised.

"Of course. He had the tradition of staying some days at the Death Temple, after all. He taught me some tricks, too. Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

"Solo – sama also taught me some skill when it came to swords: but he set me on guard regarding Breaker Types." Zero DS commented.

"Speaking of which… What are we waiting for, anyway?" Search Man DS suddenly asked.

"A truck… I dunno who's supposed to bring it, but Lord Sidier told me it was to come around this time. It'll use our communications channel. We're to unload its container into the new plane's storage area and leave it untouched: Lord Sidier will take care of the rest. He headed back to the Great Sky Temple to receive instructions from Emperor S – sama." Zero DS explained.

"Ah. Now I get why we're here trying to stay awake at 3:52 AM local time." Search Man DS muttered.

"Did you really Zero DS would do that out of orders, Search – chan?" Roll DS teased.

"That "chan" was unnecessary." He grumbled.

"Oh. Maybe I should call in Mr. Blueberry and have him play Trumps without walls or ceiling?" Roll DS teased.

"In the middle of the open…? With this heat…?" Search Man DS looked surprised.

"Heh. Sans walls means sans time limit… Sans ceiling means sans bet amount cap… A game which only the money-filled guys can afford: that's what it means." Zero DS chuckled.

"Huh. Then I'll keep on _shogi_." Search Man DS looked slightly taken aback by the announcement.

"Tee, heh, heh. Our big boy is showing up his callous side, as Shadow Man named it."

"That callous thing is a mask." He calmly replied.

"Mujura's Mask, you mean?" Zero DS joked.

"Jeez." He grumbled.

10:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm home!"

"Welcome!

Saito stepped on the house and took out his shoes: he put his slippers on and then headed towards the stairs.

"Netto – kun is upstairs?"

"Correct. He's been working on the school homework. But I allowed him to take a break: he'd worked 90% of it up, so he deserved it." Haruka told him.

"There wasn't much stuff, but it was long, so…" Saito seemed to be recalling.

"Ah. Saito. I had to talk to him about your doubts, so… He might act differently. I thought it was about time to know the truth." Haruka whispered.

"… I see. Yeah. You did the right thing, Mama. I'm sure he'll end up understanding it. But don't fret: I now can say for sure that I've always been your child."

"Good! I like that better." Haruka patted his shoulders.

"Ah. But… Please don't spoil me because I'm the niisan… I wouldn't want to be a spoiled person." Saito requested.

"Deal." Haruka looked content.

Saito climbed upstairs and found Netto engrossed in the reading of one of the comics they'd acquired.

"Whoa. You've begun Volume 2, otouto?" Saito asked.

"Huh? Ah! Saito – niisan. Welcome back." Netto looked up.

"Mama told me you've been working hard. I'm proud of you, otouto. You'll get to be a devoted person who cares about doing a job well done, I'd say." Saito told him.

"Thanks, Saito – niisan… If you want Volume 1, it's there, on top of the bed…" Netto signaled.

"Great! I'll enjoy this."

"Did anything particular happen?"

"Oh. Yeah. I met Max. We talked." Saito shrugged.

"Whoa. He was being serious today?" Netto whistled in surprise.

"Tabuu's orders, it'd seem… Anyway… The _triumvirate_ is up to something with that custom ship but they're unable to detect anything else. The guy is still stuck there and he can only make or receive voice traffic data. He's busy patching the power core up." Saito explained.

"Wow. Stuck on his pocket dimension… He must be boiling with impatience." Netto sounded surprised.

"Guess so… Anyway… I'm going to start reading Volume 1." Saito shrugged and grinned.

He jumped into the bed and picked the volume: Netto glanced at his face for a moment: he had a broad smile on his face.

_It'd seem Saito – niisan managed to settle his doubts, but… I wouldn't have imagined him going and talking to Max… Maybe he wants to know what his feelings were as copy: what it meant for the guy… And this could've helped him settle his fears away… I guess Saito – niisan will want to have his own time and his own secrets, but… I find it hard to concept. There'd never been secrets… Well… Expect at the beginning… But that was because he wasn't ready to tell me… But something tells me there's more to what happened with Max…_

Netto sighed and resumed reading his comic while trying to look absorbed: he soon got thrilled and managed to smile despite his earlier mood.

_I guess he'll eventually tell me… I won't force him. I like Saito – niisan as he is and I don't want to lose him. I'll try to help him cast his doubts and fears away…_

11:04 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So… It'd seem that the _triumvirate_ is plotting something involving an aircraft which should take off from the hijacked ship."

"Yeah. That's how it looks like given what Rock Man told me."

Forte and Freeze Man were talking inside of their base regarding the intentions of the _triumvirate_.

"Hmmm… And I got an email from that Max guy: he managed to find out that they're naming this "Omicron Scheme": I looked up uses of the Greek character "Omicron" in Math and other areas… No dice. It's barely used in anything." Forte muttered.

"Maybe the codename is designed to distract us, like how the Thanatos Robots were codenamed STS. Speaking of those… It'd seem the PMC which got the full share of them has been using them against heavy equipment and they're working quite fine. I'm afraid this won't be under control for much longer even with Yamikawa setting his eyes on it." Freeze Man suggested.

"Let's just hope it doesn't lead to a new kind of warfare… We're busy enough over here." Forte grumbled.

"Hmmm…?" Freeze Man suddenly looked behind them.

A package came in and landed on the ground: it had a label.

"For "Mr. Freeze and Fortet… From Bellatrix and the Deatheaters… _Avada kedavra_!" … Kagehi sent this." Freeze Man read before guessing.

"Harry Potter, huh… They say the final book will come out in the summer and the atmosphere is already boiling up." Forte muttered.

"Let's see what's inside."

"Yeah. I'm picked, too."

They opened the package and found a small USB-like device contained inside of it: Freeze Man accessed it and found a single file in the root directory labeled "F&F mp3".

"MP3 file?"

There was nothing else on the rest of the device's directories.

"Let's check it out… It's about 5MB, so… I guess it's supposed to be close to 5 minutes long." Forte suggested.

Freeze Man engaged it and the sound of church bells rang out along with the howls of owls: some footsteps could be heard walking over grass at a slow and almost hypnotic pace.

"_When the church bell rings 12 times, then we've gotta go to the graveyard to keep the rave party up, 'cause the discos all close at 11 PM and they're amateurs so let's go to the graveyard to have a rave party~! F&F are invited over: Mr. Freeze turns the atmosphere into ice and Fortet takes shelter in the church 'cause Rock Man passed his fear of supernatural existences into 'im! Tee, heh, heh! Blow the losing dogs up and bring the greyhounds in to replace 'em! We're gonna dance and shake 'till Raoul Ou – sama jumps into the stage and hijacks it for his macabre dance~! Hyah, hah, hah, hah!"_ Somari's voice rang out along with some imperfect guitar pitches.

Both closed their eyes in pain and tried to block the sound off their ear pads.

"_But the guy brought _little brother_ 'long and they both started a race to see who could strike more bowls down before Higure came over and hijacked the system to strike in each of his games, what a dude~! Tee, heh, heh! Shoo, they say, this place is our climax and yer not stealin' for it for yer fake glory~! Go dance at the wharfs and join the party aboard the smuggling ships! Kyah, hah, hah, hah! Boil 'em up 'till only steam is left and then have a long drop of Coca Cola and a bite of Anetta's super – special vegetarian sandwich to rise~! Rise and rinse! Derail and drop! Creak and crash! Hitch and hammer! Hit Raoul's head with a hammer to straighten 'im up and get him off his disco obsession so that he goes round up _H _stuff for his private use~! Gyah, hah, hah, hah, hah! I'm a genius and the guys out there can't start to match me~! Madonna is outdated and so are all those wannabes: there's only Kagehi Kouhi – sama~!"_

"Gruh!"

"Grah!"

"_Bring out the instant coffee: I've invented the instant tea~! Nyah, hah, hah! Cat ears will pop out around the city and the Neko Virus will resurrect 'cause Umbrella decided that parody~_!" She kept on singing.

"N-no more…!" Forte groaned.

"My sound recognition systems are about to overload…!" Freeze Man groaned.

"_So we're gonna end the show here and now but first gotta say Omicron Scheme can't be halted no matter what ya do~! And I'm not boastin' our crazy ol' luck 'round the district 'cause we know it for sure~! Roll it up and rock it down 'till you get _Rokku ando Rooru_~! Kagehi Kouhi – sama tells ya to brush yer teeth after each meal! Kaboom, boom, SFX! Make those "Darkloids" yell in agony before they blow up like bombs and pots made of fire~! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!"_ Somari ended the song with a loud guitar string sound.

Both Navis wandered around in circles apparently still dizzy from the song and its obvious torture-aimed sharp sounds.

"Damn. Kagehi may not be an S&M sadist but that's because she has enough with her guitar and lyrics so as to physically and psychologically torture people…" Forte groaned.

"I prefer the Synchronizer's yells to that, honestly enough." Freeze Man grimly muttered while he tried to ignore the persistent echo in his ear pads.

"Deal." Forte groaned.

"What's the deal?" Someone asked.

"We finally get to delete Rock Man!"

"We found Freeze Man – sama!"

"See! I told ya it was worth it!"

"Heh! "Gospel" will be comin' back and punish the world!"

Both looked at the entrance and spotted the Cut Man Brothers standing there in their usual introductory tag-pose.

"The Cut Man Brothers…" Freeze Man grumbled.

"Crap. They're still going over that." Forte grumbled.

"Huh? Who's that guy?" Jiiro asked.

"Dunno…" The other four trailed off.

"You guys… Gospel ended over two years ago! Behave yourselves and go to Chinatown!" Forte grumbled.

"But why is Freeze Man – sama…?" Jiiro argued.

"I was resurrected. And I'm no longer you people's superior. Just get out of here." Freeze Man waved his right hand in a dismissing move.

"Che." Jiiro grumbled.

"Whatever." The other four shrugged.

"Hey! Don't get in that guy's tune like that!" Jiiro scolded.

"The timing for all three attempts back when the race was bad and we ended up bad 'cause you attached the bomb to yourself, Jiiro – anichan, remember?" Saburo brought up.

"Yeah! And now Rock Man is nowhere to be found." Shiro grumbled.

"I feel tired." Goro muttered.

"I told you guys: he must be at the Science Labs!" Rokuro insisted.

"His location doesn't concern you guys: were it not for him, you'd been eaten by Gospel sooner or later." Forte told them.

"Wha~t?" They all asked.

"Dr. Wily used all us: he was only interested on ruling through that cybernetic monster." Freeze Man shrugged.

"Why, you…!" They all grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah! Some grunts are left 'round 'ere, they say…" A familiar voice rang out.

Needle Man appeared behind them: he had his usual grin on.

"Shah, shah, shah!"

"Needle Man. Has something happened?" Forte asked.

"Not really, but… The diamond mantle guy, Sidier, was seen in a Cape Town WAN Router… His trace vanished from there, but… It'd seem the stolen ship ain't too far from there." Needle Man reported.

"Hum. That's a lead. Maybe it's somewhere in False Bay, even. The place is big enough to hold a whole navy armada." Freeze Man sounded like he had a hunch.

"O-oi! Don't ignore us!" Jiiro protested.

"We told you: we have no use for you guys. Go back and try coming up with something Lupin III would do." Forte told them.

"Lupin III…? We'll look it up: he'll surely give us ideas on how to have our revenge on Rock Man!" Jiiro grinned.

"Cut Man Brothers!"

The five of them ran off while the other three sighed on relief upon shaking them off.

"Shah, shah, shah! What do we do, then? Do we satellite-search False Bay's area?" Needle Man asked.

"We'll deal with that. You can go back." Freeze Man replied.

"Shah, shah, shah! Roger! See ya 'round!"

Needle Man ran off while both of them sighed.

"I'll take care of the satellite… You better go check if any of Rock Man's companions need someone to escort them." Freeze Man suggested.

"Yeah. I'm counting on you."

Forte left Freeze Man alone: he wasted no time in typing into a holographic screen and bringing up satellite imagery of False Bay: he then switched to IR and began zooming into several signatures: some of them were ships and others were the Cape Town suburbs on the coast.

"This'll take a while… " He muttered.

"… 48% restored… I feel like I was sewing a sweater!"

Tabuu was hovering inside of the "pocket dimension": it was mainly unlit and the whirlwind had stopped: all platforms had hit the rocky ground and got stuck there: the power core was a half-repaired mess of patched together components: he was using his hands to work on that.

"At least it'll soon generate enough energy to open a stable "Fossa Ambience" and I will be able to dispatch repairs nanomachines: they'll do a neater job than I can." He muttered.

He patched some more pieces together and then his hands shone with energy before touching the right side of the rebuilt spheroid: it flashed and began to glow in a dim manner with a reddish light.

"At least some light apart from my own wings' one… I can see in the IR and X – Ray spectrum, but… It's not good enough to work with."

"… Good news, Death. The container is on its way to the ship. It'll soon be loaded and the stuff equipped into the new plane. Heh, heh, heh. The "Net Saviors" can't even begin to imagine it."

"Excellent."

Obihiro was reporting to Death as he'd walked into the main room: Death sounded eager as his body glowed with a pale blue halo.

"Humanity has been too fortunate. The hour of judgment has arrived and we shall impose it instead of Duo. Humanity needs to go into a new stage: only those strong enough will survive. The weak ones shall fade and nature will overwhelm the destruction caused by humanity. Let the New Age begin! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"


	26. Chapter 25: Stress

**Chapter 25: Stress**

5:15 AM (Cape Town Time), Saturday February the 18th…

"… Zero DS. Respond."

"Huh! Lord Sidier…! This is Zero DS! I copy, sir!"

Zero DS had been going over some system checks when his radio turned on and Sidier's voice rang out.

"Good. Ready the starboard cranes: I need you to unload this container and get into the hold. Solo will take care of getting rid of the truck while I'll be handling its contents." Sidier commanded.

"Roger. You two! Move out. We've got work to." Zero DS told them.

"Tee, heh, heh. I won two rounds. Search – kun is bad at _shogi_, it'd rather seem!" Roll DS giggled.

"Man." Search Man DS grumbled.

They climbed down the stairs from the command bridge and headed over the cranes: a truck carrying a large rectangular container with no labels whatsoever was waiting next to the road's safety handrail.

"Time to work."

Zero DS and Search Man DS operated a heavy duty crane each while Roll DS took care of opening a large hatch on the ground: the container was lifted and slowly lowered inside of the hold.

"Unloading: complete!" Roll DS reported.

"Good job. Solo: take care of the truck according to the plan. And be sure to tune in at 0:00 AM local time. The world will change." Sidier eagerly announced.

"Heh, heh, heh. I wouldn't miss that. Too bad no-one will get to read the last _Harry Potter_ book… But we could always go and pick it off to read it ourselves. Heh, heh, heh." Solo chuckled.

"Huh? There's something weird going on…"

12:22 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Eh… Saito – niisan… Are you… _happy_?"

"I am. I've set all doubts aside, Netto – kun, otouto. I look forward to what's waiting for us."

Netto was talking with Saito: he'd turned the chair around and he was leaning his hands and chin on it: the closed album was set next to him as Saito was glancing at him while placing both hands behind his head.

"Eh… Sorry for asking, Saito – niisan, but… Did it ever bother you about that tendency that I tended to yell your name the whole time?" Netto blushed.

"Eh… No. Not really… I mean… your voice is slightly loud, so… I think one is prone to shouting when under stress or nervousness…" Saito slowly replied like he didn't want to talk about it.

"… Something is eating you again, Saito – niisan… Your own voice has something to do with it?" Netto frowned.

"… Truth is… Looking back at it… I find all those pitchy yells of mine to be too… silly, inappropriate…" Saito muttered.

"But people yell when they're in pain and even adults do that… It's obvious that we'd yell, too." Netto argued.

"Ah… I hadn't thought of that… Well…" He seemed to have realized something.

"And that's what you were talking about with Max? How to handle pain and not to yell it out loud while making yourself ending up ashamed? I don't think you were in a spot where you could even think about that back when all those times." Netto kept on arguing.

"… It's just that… Well… How should I tell you… I feel like I should be more mature, but… Mama tells me over and over again that 13 years old isn't mature and it's just the start of a long trip, but… If I am to be the niisan you can look up to, then I really have to improve myself." Saito sighed and closed his eyes.

"And you told him to beat you up and then you pretended that you were in fight and held back your yells? I don't think using violence will solve anything, niisan." Netto sounded annoyed.

"… I'm too readable, then…?" Saito wondered in a low voice.

"You two… What's with this quarrel?"

Haruka opened the slightly adjusted door and stepped in while looking somewhat worried.

"Ah… Mama… It's just that… niisan is obsessed with his voice… and he's ashamed of yelling when in pain…" Netto explained.

"What? Saito… You're taking up the wrong references, I'm afraid. It's natural for a person to yell when they are in pain: it's an instinct! You can't toss it or pretend that it isn't there: that's part of you ever since you're born into the world." Haruka told him.

"… Mama… But… I thought that we boys are supposed to…" Saito looked puzzled.

"It's not "supposed to": you are how you are. It always remains like this: you've already rooted out your character and traits. Saito. Life isn't like textbooks, pictures, gossips, movies or _clichés_ define it: those are _not_ to be taken as guidelines. They give out a general or concrete idea but there's no "correct" definition to life because every person has a different view on it." Haruka insisted.

"Oh… Then…"

"You're fine as you are: don't push yourself and try to harm yourself while trying to come to imitate those models. That won't do you any good and could lead you to lower your image of yourself. Saito. I know you're trying to cope with life after being isolated from society for six years, but… You are unique. You don't need to look like someone else. What defines a person or Navi is being unique not only in appearance but in experiences and behavior. Do you get me, Saito, dear? Remain as you are." Haruka explained as she sat on the bed and placed her right hand over his right shoulder.

"… I see… Thank you, Mama… Now I understand it better… I was trying to do that: imitate a model. But I don't need to… I am as I am and I don't need to change my way of being." Saito sighed and seemed to have understood it.

"You're trying to go too fast, Saito. Don't. Go by the flow. Let life carry you: don't try to be impatient. Focus: what are you going to do today? If you only concern yourself over a small period of time, then you won't have that urge. Time is essential: make sure to use it on a wise manner so as to enjoy it." Haruka smiled at him.

"Yeah, Mama… I'm sorry. I'm always worrying all of you… I should really be glad of being alive and in the real world." Saito made a small smile.

"See? Now enjoy yourself and don't be concerned by any of those anymore: it doesn't matter anymore which brother you are: you two get along perfectly and I don't want you two to stray or fight." Haruka patted his back.

"See, niisan? I told you that ya were going over pointless stuff. Shake it off and enjoy this Saturday and weekend. There's gonna be a lot of sun and no clouds."

"I'll leave you two to settle it. Remember what I've just told you about, Saito."

She stepped out of the room and Saito climbed out of the bed: he walked over to Netto and extended his right hand.

"I'm sorry for that of before, otouto. Can you forgive me?" Saito apologized.

"Of course! I know that you're just troubled sometimes. But take it easy and let's have fun." Netto smiled.

They shook hands and, when Saito lowered his arm, Netto's hand rubbed against the forearm for a moment: he frowned and Saito gasped.

"Weird. I felt like I was touching something beneath the shirt… And the texture felt familiar, too…" He muttered.

Saito looked elsewhere while Netto looked serious and seemingly trying to recall: he gripped his own right forearm and seemed to be trying to get a hold of what was bugging him.

"… Niisan… It couldn't be… Tell me I'm being paranoid and that's a wrist watch you got with your allowance…" Netto called out.

"Eh… Hum… Sorry… I'm sorry, really, but… I didn't want to hurt you… I'm to blame…" Saito lowered his gaze.

He slowly pulled his sleeves up and Netto gasped upon seeing the forearm pieces set there.

"So that's what you were doing… How could you go over that again? And what's more: ending up content of it?" Netto muttered before asking.

"That "yelling when in pain" thing we were discussing about… Max admitted that he'd gotten somewhat obsessed with it, too, so… His main reason for being a masochist was to be able to feel pain yet draw strength from it… So I tried to go by that, too, and I kind of obliged him to…" Saito slowly explained.

"You obliged him to…? So he didn't invite you to?" Netto asked.

"No. He wouldn't think of it: he must be afraid Tabuu would get pissed off at him." Saito slowly looked up with a guilty face.

"And even Eva had her doubts?" Netto asked next.

"Yeah. It took the two of us to convince her to go with it." Saito sighed and avoided eye contact.

"And you actually _liked_ doing it?" Netto looked surprised.

"I know: I'm a freak! I don't deserve being your niisan, Netto – kun! A freak who likes being tortured…!" Saito suddenly broke down and clutched his head as he ran off.

"O-oi! Wait a min! Saito – niisan!"

Saito ran into the bathroom and shut the door while locking it from the inside: Netto knocked on it but the only response was cries and sobs.

"What's going on? Didn't you quit the fight?" Haruka questioned as she came in.

"Eh… Saito – niisan got hysterical because he… eh… was sporting some fashionable bracelets which Dekao's cousin lent us… And then…" Netto improvised.

"He thinks he did something silly again?" Haruka asked.

"Well… Yeah… He thinks he's a "freak" and he doesn't deserve being my niisan… Can you try talking to him, Mama?" Netto asked.

"Saito. Please. Open the door." Haruka called out.

They heard the key turning over followed by a strange sound and the clatter of something hitting the floor: they opened it and found the Link PET on the ground.

"He returned inside… Saito – niisan?" Netto muttered as he picked it up and called out.

The screen was empty: Netto pressed a button and a diagram of Saito appeared with several "OK" signs.

"He's hidden inside like when he gets scared… He must be feeling very guilty, I guess…" Netto guessed.

"Netto. Saito isn't the type of person to break down just because he was wearing something fashionable. I'm sure there's more to it." Haruka told him with a serious reprimanding glare.

"Eh… Well… You know that discussion about Saito – niisan disliking his yells of pain and such? He found a guy we know by coincidence and headed to his home to… eh…" Netto trailed off.

"He allowed that boy to beat him to test his own receptivity to pain and he's got bruises from that, you mean to say?" Haruka assumed.

"Yeah. That's what happened. I casually discovered because he made a sign like it hurt when I accidentally rubbed my hand against his right forearm… He showed me the bruises and then got guilty."

"Saito… And he tried to hide it so as to not to hurt you… But what can I expect from a son who was forced to become a Net Navi while his real body died? Even though he's now back where he belonged at even as a Navi, his mind is very complicated… I guess Yuuichirou – san let him too loose and didn't try to set a good basis for him." She sighed.

"Yeah. I guess Papa's forgetful nature and his large lack of attention might've forced niisan to rely on documents or material store on Papa's laboratory since he rarely exited it. That must be when he built himself a large database and tried to interlink all those concepts together only to end up with all those "supposed to"… And his instincts as a Navi probably forbid him from hurting himself, so he must be guilty that he went against those…" Netto theorized.

"Really… I'm going to call Yuuichirou – san. We can't have this: Saito is too strict and honest with himself: he's too quick to blame himself for these things…" Haruka sighed.

"… I knew it… I'm just a copy… An imitator… The real one… wouldn't do such low things… he'd be a prideful… ani-ue-sama… to Netto – kun… the only thing I do… is bring trouble wherever I go to… What point is there to living, then…? Living your whole life to replace someone…"

Saito, inside of his PET and having his Navy bodysuit on, was sitting on the ground and leaning against a wall: he was closing his arms around his legs and keeping his head lowered while he sobbed and muttered things aloud while being seemingly confused.

"Saito." Yuuichirou's voice rang out.

"Hi – Hikari – hakase…?"

"Saito. You're my son. You can call me "Papa" as always. Stop acting like that, please. Haruka called me over: we need to talk." Yuuichirou corrected him.

"No! Why don't you tell me the truth already, hakase? I'm a copy of your son! I'm an imitator! I'm just there to fill that void! I'm not "Saito": I'm Rock Man EXE!" He cried.

"That's not true. Can't you recall memories of several years ago and feel the emotions linked to them?"

"That's because they're recreations! Nothing is real! My face, my voice, all of me…! It's just a copy!" He yelled.

"No. Your only problem is that you have too much info which is rather useless in your flash memory. You built it up over the years. Those stress attacks of yours are because you try to access all of that info at once and your system is unable to cope with that: you get frustrated because you don't know how you're "supposed" to answer and turn paranoid with yourself." Yuuichirou sighed.

"Huh…? Useless info…?" He slowly looked up.

"Correct. I'm to blame. I didn't try to provide you a strict basis from which you should build your moral values and criteria. Thus, you've relied on info scattered about there and tried to educate yourself. But then you've been led into a world of "supposed to" things and you want to strictly follow them to be a "normal" person."

"Then… I am normal, after all…?"

"You've been normal ever since the beginning. Your only problem is that accumulated info and your habit of recurring to that instead of using your own values. Saito. What would Trill think if he saw you like that? What would he say?"

"… Trill…! Oh… Trill… He'd be trying to… encourage me and… he's doing his best for… the people of "Beyondard"… and helping them… and here I am… doing H things because I thought they'd make me stronger…!"

"Netto told me. But if you did it out of your will, then… I can't really blame you for that. If you've found something which you like and makes you content, then I won't stop you." Yuuichirou replied.

"R-really…?"

"Saito. You're real. You've always been. It's good to be honest with yourself, but…"

"But…?"

"You can't pretend that running away will solve anything. Listen: once I finish the necessary arrangements, you _will_ be attending school with Netto next year. Don't you look forward to it?" Yuuichirou let out.

"Me… going to school with… otouto… I'd be like… a real boy… instead of an animated puppet…" He muttered.

"Ah. I see. You've taken up as a reference the fable of _Pinocchio_: you thought you had many in common with him… But… Saito. You don't need a fairy to make you "human": you already are. So dry those tears and shut your system down: I'm going to purge your flash memory and you'll find yourself better after this." Yuuichirou smiled at him.

"Yeah… Please go ahead… Papa…" He muttered.

He leant his back against the wall and shut his eyes: he soon was asleep while the white analysis rings formed around him.

"It's alright now. He'll most likely be somewhat embarrassed about that gear topic but he won't break down anymore." Yuuichirou told Netto with a sigh.

"Thank goodness…" Netto sighed in relief.

"You two were right: _I_ am to blame for his behavior. I didn't try to spend enough time with him and this is the result."

"Huh? Mail… From Forte… "The _triumvirate_ is still doing something around False Bay with their hijacked ship but we haven't found it yet: they're being extremely careful, it'd seem. The codename for their new idea is Omicron Scheme. I wouldn't lower my guard. Also, the Cut Man Brothers are still roaming around. Make sure to keep Saito away from the Cyber World for a while: they're waiting for a chance. Take care. Forte." … Omicron is one of the two characters for the "O" letter in the Alphabet, ain't it? The other is Omega… I dunno why but the letter "O" is picking me somehow…" Netto read aloud before frowning.

"A codename's function is to distract, so…"

"And why doesn't anyone tell the Cut Man Brothers to go to Choina and make up a studio of paper silhouettes to use as film extras? They'd save up a lot of money." Netto sarcastically muttered.

"My. That'd be an interesting idea." Yuuichirou chuckled.

"Heh, heh! I can have practical imagination when I want to!"

_Hmpf. So that's how it is!_

A figure was standing atop a building and looking towards False Bay: they seemed to be fixing its gaze in one single spot.

_Those lowlifes think they can copy my plan in front of my noses. They won't get to. Let's wait some hours and come back… I shall make it mine!_

"… Weird. I thought there was someone looking towards here."

"Huh? Really?"

Search Man DS lowered a set of binoculars and looked somewhat concerned while Roll DS was standing at his right and drawing things in the window glass after condensing it with her breath.

"Will you stop doing that?" Search Man DS grumbled.

"Tee, heh, heh. Soldier – chan is annoyed." She teased.

"I don't need any nicknames." Search Man DS protested.

"You need a donut." Zero DS laughed at his joke.

"Where did you get such humor, anyway?" He questioned.

"Grave Joker DS – sama was fond of it." Zero DS shrugged.

"So? Are we gonna into a date in the lovely Venus' Lagoon, Soldier – sama~?" She teased next by rubbing his lower jaw.

"No. And that's definitive." He shot back.

"Tee, heh, heh. Lion – sama wants to bite us. Let's go, Z – chan."

"Man. These guys…!"


	27. Chapter 26: Omicron Scheme

**Chapter 26: Omicron Scheme**

05:45 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 19th…

"… Finally! It's open! Let's get out already!"

Tabuu had managed to largely complete the core's reconstruction and a "Fossa Ambience" had opened: he flew into it and appeared inside of his tower's topmost room.

"Phew! Let's get up to date." He muttered.

He brought up several holographic screens and typed into them: text displays showed up and he began reading them.

"They still didn't find the ship…? They must've come up with a new –gen camouflage device which helps it be hidden from IR scanning… But I'm sure I can find it if I search the area myself: it's really bothering me… Let's go."

He closed the screens and folded his arms: energy built up around him a new "Fossa Ambience" opened: he jumped inside and reappeared high in False Bay and hovering over the air.

"Let's check… Hmmm…" Tabuu muttered.

He floated down into the land and picked a pebble: he threw it towards the water and it suddenly became out of sight: the sound of it hitting the water was soon heard.

"Found it… But the field is too powerful to break through without making a scandal… Let's open a small crack on it and send my "Eye" to monitor what's going on inside."

He aimed his right hand forward and the "Eye" formed in the air: it soon became almost invisible and headed towards a small crack showing part of the unlit ship's deck: some bats also suddenly rushed inside before the crack reformed.

"Bats… Yet… I don't know why, they gave off a bad vibe…" Tabuu muttered while seemingly frowning.

The "Eye" spotted an open lock door and got inside through it: the thing made its way hovering across the holds and machinery until it found the large container which had been opened: it was empty.

"Hum!"

The "Eye" kept on moving forward and spotted a slightly open automatic sliding door: Sidier could be seen kneeling in front of Saruba.

"Yamikawa and Sidier…" Tabuu, still outside of the ship, muttered.

A holographic screen was open in front of him and displaying what the "Eye" could see.

"… The local time is 22:45 PM. We'll be starting the decoy attack in 15 minutes' time. You're to take off at 23:45 PM. Then, at exactly 0:00 AM, the final phase must be executed. The first effects will show up in less than 1 hour's time. The New Age will be unleashed." Saruba was telling him.

"Yes, sir. Emperor S - sama. I understand. All shall be done according to the schedule… My three warriors will keep the ship here so that I can then return when I've finished the job." Sidier bowed.

"Good! Then I leave everything up to you. I'm off to finishing up the last details. Heh, heh, heh." Saruba chuckled.

He dematerialized while Sidier calmly stood up and looked in front of him: a large stealth bomber was set inside of the room and some large missiles with an attached "Dimensional Converter" could be seen loaded into it: they looked ominous enough.

"Missiles… And I can pick up a strong energy signature from them… Wait a min… Omicron… Haven't I heard that name before?" Tabuu muttered while sounding like he was recalling.

He brought the right hand to his chin and seemed to be thinking: he glanced at the screen and spotted Sidier bringing up a holographic screen as well: he began looking at some videos over YouTube and had an amused expression to his face.

"Let's leave him like that… Omicron… I'm sure I've heard something about it before… Hmmm…"

He typed into his screen and brought up a string of text: he seemed to scan it down.

"Yeah… It was something regarding Death Shadow… What? Wait, wait… T-this is…! I see…! So that's how it is about…! This could very well be a global catastrophe…! I've gotta do something… But I alone can't: trying to force that field could be disastrous and my energy levels are too high to be able to cross it safely…! So I'll have to count on the Hikari brothers… Maybe I should bring Ijuuin along, too… Wait. They talked about a decoy attack, didn't they…? Ah! They will do that to stall for time until Sidier can take off with the plane and do his job…!" He gasped as he read more of the information being displayed.

He closed the screens and seemed to be nervous.

"… There's no other way around: one of my high-priority orders is ensuing the survival of any civilization I'm in the midst of researching into even if I ditched my Creators…! There's no a minute to be wasted: it's already 22:55 PM local time…! It must be close to 06:00 AM in Japan… They'll be sleeping. But this is an emergency!" He muttered next.

He shut down his screen and built up energy again: a new "Fossa Ambience" formed and he jumped inside of it to end up in the local Cyber World.

"Open, Tunnel! Open, Sesame!"

A VPN tunnel formed in the midst of the air and he quickly beat his wings to then form a jet-like device which began to shoot out hot plasma and propel him inside as the cover was lowered behind him.

"Gotta hurry… If I don't act soon then it won't be just those guys getting away with it: humanity's future is at stake! That Death Shadow jerk! He's gotta have influenced them. What can I expect of Yamikawa, though? A guy who's been locked in the Cyber World for 15 years…"

_I lowered my guard and it almost proved fatal! Let's hurry!_

05:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Good morning."

"Hello, Meijin. You're early for a Sunday."

Meijin stepped into the main room where he was greeted by one of his colleagues.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep very well: the _Return of the King_ movie wouldn't stop popping out on my head." He yawned.

"Oh. True, true." His colleague smiled.

"Oi! Meijin! What happened to your ex-girlfriend? Is she still free?" A second man teased.

"Guess so…" He shrugged.

"Heh, heh, heh!" The second man chuckled.

"Oi! I was first." The first man grumbled.

"Kimura, Toshiro… Please don't quarrel over her…" Meijin looked defeated as evidenced how he slapped his face.

A trumpet's melody began to ring out all of a sudden and everyone looked around, confused: there were two large explosions and the alarms went off.

"Meijin! Intruders! Two groups have broken through the Level 1 firewalls at the north and west entrances: one is heading towards Level 2 while the other is covering their backs!" A third scientist reported.

"Damn. Lovely way of starting the day…! Seal off Level 3 using the new security measures: engage the traps!" Meijin grumbled before coordinating a defense.

"Meijin! We've got visuals! And I don't like the looks of it! They're very strong! The Security Navis are overwhelmed." Toshiro reported as he typed into the main computer.

"T-this is…!" Meijin gasped.

Four Navis could be seen fighting the Security Navis and easily overpowering them.

"Buruo~!"

The first of them was over three meters tall and had a basis which was a two-legged ox and their main color was purple.

His face was shaped like an ox's: his eyes' irises were red in color, three small needles protruded from their forehead, and two horns colored black emerged at the sides: instead of a mouth he had a partial cubical prism protruding out of it with three thin round prisms packed up inside of it: the lower edge was unarmored and exposed.

His chest was big and protruded outwards: partial armor covered the flanks: it had three air outlets and an orange edge while the central body was unarmored and colored purple: a small yellow drawing reminiscent of the Horoscope symbol for "Ox" was set on the middle.

Reddish armor covered the shoulders and his arms' skin was black: his forearms had purple cylinders as armor and some orange triangles were packed in a row along their upper band: their fingers' skin was gray.

The legs were unarmored until the knees where two simple armor plates colored purple and with a white protruding needle had been built at: his feet were shaped like a real ox's too.

"Ox Tackle!"

He tackled the Security Navis and hit them thus knocking them into the ground and having them be retrieved.

"Ox Fire DS…! Tribe Chief of the Death Tribe, head of the Death Temple…!"

"… Hah, hah, hah, hah! Don't get into a gentleman's way. Especially if he's in an elegant rush."

The second guy was over the meter and ninety height spot: he was "humanoid" enough and in fact, he was very reminiscent of the "Phantom of the Opera" character.

His face's skin was colored in an olive-like color: a partial black mask had been built over his eyes (purple irises) and nose.

Four strings of curly blonde hair came out behind his head.

The upper torso had purplish decoration over it which looked like part of an evening suit: the rest of the armor was colored in a bluish color and ended at the waist.

His shoulders were dull blue spheroids from which his arms emerged: the elbow gained a yellowish pyramidal object popping out from the top of them and they turned bluish: the cuffs around the wrists were black in color and so were his fingers.

The sides of his legs aiming backwards had some extra bluish armor with a gray edge built there: his legs were unadorned until the knees where his boots began: they had another pyramidal object on their center and ended in a gray band separating the ankles from the feet: they looked like evening shoes.

A purplish cape with an inner red coloring spread behind him and he sported a top hat with frontal armor over his head.

He also carried a cane on his right hand colored blue and with side red stripes.

"Phantom Black DS, Tribe Chief of the Bog Tribe, head of the Bog Temple…!"

"Stick Sword!"

He attacked two Navis by swing his stick and defeated them.

"Heh! This _is_ thrill!"

A third Net Navi was fighting as well.

He looked close to a meter and ninety in height and their main color of choice was black.

They had partial black armor over their forehead but the face and the grayish skin were rather unshielded.

The top was open too and the sides only had two gun-like pieces of armor aiming backwards and running over the red ear-pads: a small "tail" like in a plane popped out behind his head as well while armor shielded the nose.

Their eyes were simple reddish spots although his "normal" skin could be seen on the slot carved for the mouth.

His chest had a bulky piece of armor shaped like a triangle aiming forward and the top of it had a black and red crest which read "AA" written there: two red lines marked the half of the side-armor height: the upper half was black in color and the lower one purple: there were two small exhausts set next to the ear-pads and two wing-like extensions formed from behind them.

Another two wings were built over the shoulders: they had a red lower edge, a purple main body, a golden stripe, and a blackish segment: they looked like they could be spun on their axis.

The shoulders also had two colors: purple and black, in the inner and outer halves respectively, along with two red circles on their lower ends: some grayish armor with golden edges covered the forearms and a bracelet with a small wing extension had been built circling the wrists: the hands' skin was black.

The outer face of the legs also had that grayish armor made of segments with the golden edges and knee plating: the boots ended in black triangles, one over the ankle and the other over the foot: another wing with a red stripe atop it popped out from there.

He also carried a grayish-armored black energy gun with a curious design on his right hand.

"Acid Ace DS…! One of the _two_ Tribe Chiefs of the Fortress Tribe…!"

"Oi! _Aibou_! There's stuff to blow up here too! Wing Blade!"

He ignited the thrusters into his back and ran forward while leaving two parallel trails of reddish plasma running across the ground next to his feet outer edges: the Navis on the wake were rammed out of the way or set on fire by the plasma.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

The fourth attacker was way taller than his companion, beating him by over a full meter.

His main color was blood red and his face's skin was teal in color: purplish transparent shades covered his reddish – irises eyes along with some thin gray armor set over his head, the sides of it, and around his jaw: two large red ear-pads were set on the sides of his head too.

His main torso was colored in a shade of brown and had golden edges and marks drawing a circle with a blade-like extension heading downwards: two small curved stripes headed inwards from a thicker golden edge which set the boundary with the shoulders: the central torso's shade of brown was more pallid than the rest of the main body.

The shoulders had two large curved pieces with a main red body, a golden stripe and a black top which looked like weapons: they had a small red triangle aiming downwards on their outer edge close to the top and another stripe heading for the main body.

His arms and hands' skin was purple and the forearms' armor was red in color along with the golden edges: the cuff was black.

Another two red and golden-edged sections climbed up along the sides and fell slightly short of the shoulders: the legs had that same drawing on the outer edges while the inner ones were plain.

Grayish armor ran down the legs near the rear edge and then ran along a stretch of the foot until it formed an arch: a brownish patch of armor was located on the rear of the feet while the fingers were covered by some slight armor.

"And Grave Joker DS…! Both Heads of the Fortress Temple…! They've all come from the Dark Realm…! Which means that…! The other group inside of Level 2 is…!"

"I've got visuals! They're overwhelming the security devices too and their firepower is greater! Damn it! What a lovely dawn!" Toshimo nervously reported.

A group of three Navis around a meter and sixty tall could be seen fighting the Mega Cannons and other defenses.

"Damn it! I knew it!"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh."

The leftmost one had a purple-colored one-piece-bodysuit which extended until the hips and ended in a skirt-like form: two small curved objects were placed over her shoulders and the upper part of her bodysuit (extending from the shoulders until the chest) was colored black: it had no peculiar decoration drawn into its surface.

A blackened scarf was wrapped around her neck and it extended until the ground.

The helmet's main color was black and it had the same "broken heart" drawing was set on the forehead: two purple round button-like objects emerged from the sides of the head plus a purple band which formed the lower edge of the helmet: thick red-colored shades covered her eyes but exposed her nose.

Her reddish hair fell down the sides of her head and stopped slightly over the shoulders.

A red blood heart with a crack on the middle was set on the middle of her chest thus combining the upper half of her body with the bodysuit: two thin purple lines travelled down from the skull's SW and SE edges until the end of the bodysuit.

Her arms were covered by a combination of purple and black bands which extended until the wrists, which were covered by golden armor: it consisted of a thinner piece at the start plus a larger piece below it which had a small button drawn into the north side of it: the hands' skin was tinted using purple coloring.

The end of the bodysuit and the start of the knees had black "skin".

The boots' armor began at the knees with black armor having purple pyramid-like drawings set over them.

The boots had no peculiar decoration whatsoever and they ended in white edges on the very front of them.

"Kagehi's Battle Form: Harp Note DS…!" Meijin sounded hysterical by now and was sweating.

The cameras closed on the rightmost one next.

This guy had a helmet which had been painted using a black and red color-scheme: it was a partial guard given how it revealed his hair in its entirety which was flying straight upwards in a wild and chaotic manner.

The helmet too bore a pair of transparent purple shapes and having the shape of the Alphabet letter "X" which seemed to be layered across his helmet while his throat was guarded by a silver neck-guard, somewhat similar to a gorget: his ear-pads were small greenish domes.

He wore a smooth and plain black cat suit which began at his jaw line with Solo's robe emblem drawn over his chest while now being colored in a crimson red color: the catsuit ran uninterrupted along each limb until reaching the elbows and knees.

Starting from those spots, and, with the exception of his right arm, they were further covered in solid-looking black armor: and this black armor was further alloyed with a red slotted coil with a single red spine forming around the left wrist plus the feet ankles.

He also bore two knobbed spaulders made of what seemingly was the same material over his shoulders to protect them.

His right arm, by comparison, bore a thick black bracelet circling around the wrist: it turned his right fist and forearm into a mass of burning purple flames the brightness of which was constantly shifting.

"Make way to my blade~!"

He was wielding a sword which had a reddish hilt with yellowish ends: the blade had an indentation running across most of its height which began as a thin cone-like form, spread into a circle having a greenish dot in the middle, and ended close to the edge.

The blade was shaped like a trapeze with diagonal sides and had some grade of thickness to it unlike _katana_ or normal swords.

"Kuroumi's Battle Form: Burai DS…! And the center one _has_ to be… _that person_…!" Meijin leaned on the console and sounded in panic by now given his voice.

The centermost guy came up next: his "Battle Form" wasn't too "spectacular" but the design was a bit elaborated: purple was the dominant color.

The helmet had a black central stripe with a bronze-colored hexagon set there and a small "V" piece slightly beneath that: the sides of it were colored purple and had two small square holes near the ear-pads which were colored blood red and had a bronze edge: two triangles emerged from the SW and NE positions but the second was larger.

Reddish transparent shades covered his eyes and allowed one to see his golden and red irises-eyes below them: most of his face was exposed but the SW triangle provided slight protection for the sides: his silver hair flew out from behind while forming a crest.

His chest had a small square plate with a curved lower end which had that shooting star emblem set there: apart from that the rest of the chest lacked any important armor.

The shoulder plates were divided into six stripes: three per each shoulder's half with the two central ones being colored silver and the outer ones purple: a black stripe crossing through the central stripes contained a glowing bronze energy pattern there.

The forearms had two curved extensions coming out from the under-side and began as a thick circle which then gave way to a thinner cylinder and a gray band around the wrist: his hands' skin was black.

Two parallel golden lines travelled down the sides of each body and ended at around the knees where his boots began at.

His boots contained a flap-like extension having a purplish energy pathway cut through them.

They began as thick but then lost some thickness and ended in metallic soils: a small piece shaped like a triangle was set over where the feet were at and leaving a small gap which was seemingly used for the air to come in.

Lastly, two slightly curved flaps were attached to behind him: they had an outer bronze edge and an inner purple body.

He was using a black stylized buster-like weapon which was shooting black-colored Charge Shots while Harp Note DS wielded a guitar colored blood red: she swung the cords to produce some musical notes which she shot.

"Yamikawa's Battle Form: Dark Ryuusei…! This must be their Omicron Scheme: an all-out attack on the Science Labs…! They must want to sabotage the "Dimensional Generators" so that we're unable to counter their acts for a while…!" Meijin cursed.

"What do we do, Meijin?" Kimura asked.

"I'll make an emergency call: all "Net Saviors" Navis and the former "Duo's Crest" owners' Navis must come here! But some of them will not be battle-effective given how Battle Chip Data takes a long time to reach a Navi if he's in a remote spot! Thus, Laika – kun, Jasmine, Princess Pride and Raoul are out of the question… Nine VS seven… But Netto – kun and Rock Man defeated Yamikawa once, so…! It's decided! I'll call them over and let's hope there's something left intact by the time they arrive: Netto – kun can Operate from home." Meijin muttered.

"… Yo~! Meijin – sama spilled his coffee today?" Burai DS called out aloud while grinning.

"_Sama wa iranai_!" He grumbled aloud without thinking.

"Meijin – han has some teeth!" Harp Note DS grinned.

"_Han wa iranai_!"

"Nope. Meijin – dono is from the Meiji Restoration Era." Dark Ryuusei joked as well.

"_Dono wa iranai~_!"

06:04 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh… Unh…"

Saito was seemingly awake as he gazed into the ceiling of their unlit room: he was face-up and having his hands beneath his head: Netto was snoring and looking like he was dreaming of food given his broad smile and how he tossed around.

_I suddenly woke up 10 minutes ago… I dunno why, but I don't feel like I should be sleeping anymore… But Papa was right, after all. My problem was having too much useless data on my flash memory: I now feel more light-headed and I don't get nervous anymore. I am who I am and I'll decide how I am. No – one has to decide for me. _

"Yo! Wake up! The world's in a pinch!" A voice rang out.

He glanced at the PC's screen and gasped: a close-up of Tabuu's face could be seen over it and he sounded nervous, for once: Saito slowly climbed out of the bed and walked over to screen.

"Tabuu…? What the heck are you doing in our computer?" Saito asked while looking baffled.

"There's trouble!" He grumbled.

"What trouble…? It's 6:05 AM!" Saito grumbled.

"And it's 23:05 PM on False Bay! If you don't do what I say, then the world will be doomed in 55 minutes!" Tabuu snapped.

"You're telling us you can't do anything about it?" Saito looked rather skeptical.

"Huff! My energy is too large to enter the energy field hiding the hijacked ship, ya see! And I'm sure that the plane doesn't have a Cyber World: I can't match a plane's speed even if it's a stealth bomber! Gotcha, Rock Man?" Tabuu snapped at him with obvious exasperation.

"What? The _triumvirate_ wants to bomb Cape City? That's their plan and that's why they wanted the tanker?" Saito gasped.

"No! It's worse than that! I haven't had time to calculate all of the details, but you can kiss bye-bye to your history and future! There'll only be mutants crawling across the real world and Cyber World! So get on the move: I already called Ijuuin!" Tabuu growled.

"You called Enzan and _Buruusu_? I hope this is serious." Saito told him.

"It is! Yamikawa and some others are attacking the Science Labs to distract you guys but the real problem is the "Omicron" loaded into the missiles which the bomber carries: it's the thing which Death Shadow spoke about on his tale: that's how he came to be formed!"

"What! That stuff Death Shadow talked about…? But ain't some kind of liquid or…?" Saito frowned.

"Listen: I don't have the whole time to chat: it's already 6:10 AM here and 23:10 PM there: Sidier is gonna take off at 6:45 AM! We've got barely 30 minutes for your brother to get dressed, get there via the "Fossa Ambience" I'm gonna provide and try to stop the guy from making the bomber lift off! Move your bodies! On the double! Aren't ya gonna try save the world from its doom or what?" Tabuu seemed to be getting annoyed.

"Okay. Now I found it more believable." Saito muttered.

"I admit I was kidding before when I was teasing you but this is serious stuff: _Aibou_ would be pulling his crew's ears to get them out of bed and ready for battle!" Tabuu growled.

"Hum… What's this whole scandal…?"

Netto yawned and sat up on the bed while rubbing his eyes: Saito didn't waste a second and picked his right wrist while running with him into the bathroom: he opened the sink and splashed both of their faces with cold water.

"W-what?" Netto wondered.

"Explanations later! We've got 30 minutes to save the world!" Saito commanded.

"Huh! 30 minutes…!"

"Get dressed: no time for breakfast!" Saito commanded.

"No way!"

"Huff! Way! Do you wanna be late to save the world because you insisted on having a gigantic breakfast? What will the survivors think of you, otouto? Aren't we heroes?" Saito rallied.

"Gotcha, gotcha! No need for scolding, really!"

"Use the toilet if you need to: I'll go pick your clothes and put my bodysuit on!" Saito commanded.

"R-roger!"

Saito ran off and engaged his bodysuit to be work over his pajamas along with the helmet: he then rummaged into Netto's drawers and picked his usual clothes: the vest, shirt, shorts and his bluish boxers. He piled them on top of a chair and picked his PET to check the Battle Chip Folder registered into it.

"Let's have two folders: a Sword and a Breaker one." He muttered.

Netto rushed in and quickly dressed up while putting his bandana on as well: a "Fossa Ambience" opened in the midst of the room while Saito had already picked a paper and quickly wrote a message in _katakana_ to be left behind.

"Important Net Savior mission: we'll try to be back before lunch. Saito."

"Let's go, otouto! It's already 6:20 AM: we've got just 25 minutes!" Saito rallied.

"Y-yeah! Let's go!" Netto hastily nodded in agreement.

They both ran inside and appeared in a room inside of the ship: the "Fossa Ambience" closed and another opened: Enzan stepped out and also looked like he'd been brusquely woken up.

"Netto!"

"Enzan!"

"Tabuu had you come out of the bed, too?" Saito asked Blues.

"Yeah. And I'm sure he wasn't kidding." Blues replied.

They heard some noises and a "Dimensional Area" formed around the ship: Saito returned into the Link PET.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both performed "Cross Fusion" flawlessly and they then spotted "Gufuu" hovering next to them.

"I only can get inside like this, you see. Sidier is up ahead: with the door locked, though, I doubt he got to hear anything. He seems to be engrossed with his YouTube videos." Tabuu told them.

"Good. I guess he'll bring out his sword style, so… I won't be at a disadvantage." "CF" Blues muttered.

"Don't get confident: he can stop swords with the palm and momentarily steal them to attack you with it before giving it back." "CF" Netto warned him in a hushed tone.

They tiptoed towards the door and slowly pushed it open: Sidier had stopped the video and was hearing to a transmission.

"… The sabotage of the "Dimensional Generator" is complete: they won't be able to use it for one or two days at the very least. We're pulling out after I swept the floor with my two Ultimate Attacks." Saruba's voice was reporting.

"Then, Yamikawa – sama, the "Dimensional Area" around the ship is to protect it further?" Sidier asked.

"What? I didn't order for that." Saruba sounded puzzled.

"Yamikawa – sama didn't? But it's using "Dimensional Converters", so I thought that… Maybe Search Man DS came up with it in case we need to shield it from attack by any pirate raid… I thought they acted around these waters…" Sidier seemed to frown.

"I doubt it: the pirates act higher north, around Somalia and similar countries… But if it can protect the shield from conventional weapons' attack then it's no trouble." Saruba sounded like he was shrugging.

"Did Yamikawa – sama get to see the face of defeat in Rock Man today? It must have been exquisite." Sidier asked.

"Well… He and Blues weren't there: I guess they didn't hear the call or else they realized they wouldn't be in time to stop us…" Saruba admitted while sounding resigned.

"That's a pity, sir… It'd been an even greater victory, sir."

"Hah. But it'll be better because they'll get to see if their bodies can evolve or they will end up as mindless aberrations which will kill each other at first sight…" Saruba sounded amused.

"That'd be lovely, sir… 11:30 PM… Another 15 minutes, sir, and Omicron Scheme shall enter its last stage." Sidier chuckled.

"Good enough. Besides… The plane has "Converters" on it, too, so you always use them to come out of the "Dimensional Area" without exposing the ship to danger. I'll be heading back to the Sky Room: we don't wanna miss the show. Over." Saruba sounded very eager by now.

"Correct. You lowlife are over." A voice rang out.

Sidier looked around and the two "Cross Fusion" users hid from sight as he examined his surroundings.

"You lowlifes stole off my plan. So I'm going to take it up and make good use of it… We shall finally rule the face of the Earth!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

The bats from before flew out of the AC duct and joined to reveal Shade Man: he stood in front of Sidier and giving his back to the "Net Saviors": Sidier gasped and drew his sword.

"Y-you're Shade Man: the "Darkloid" leader!" He gasped.

"Hmpf."

"Forte deleted you when you attacked the Science Labs!" Sidier pointed the sword to him in accusing manner.

"True. But some data of me remained in that high-security network's Cyber World… It eventually assembled together and I was reborn. I found out about this by hearing to gossiping and quickly put two and two together… My own plan had almost worked but that strange light foiled it by nullifying my "Dark Aura" inside of the gnat…" Shade Man seriously told him.

"Che. You won't get in the way! I'll dispose of you myself." Sidier grumbled and sounded annoyed.

"Hmpf. A flamboyant Net Navi is no rival for me." He scoffed.

"That's because you haven't seen me in battle. Hmmm… 23:35 PM… Gotta cut it out in 10 minutes…" Sidier replied before muttering.

Some alarms rang out and the ceiling opened as this section came out into the outside of the structure and deployed the launch ramp for the plane to take off: the "Dimensional Area" surrounding the ship could be clearly seen as well.

"Hmpf." Sidier grinned.

His mantle slowly faded while leaving diamond patterns on its place and he drew a second sword which he held with his left hand.

"Heh."

"Hmpf."

Sidier suddenly warped while leaving the diamond shapes behind and jumped down from above: he plunged both swords into Shade Man's shoulders but he looked unimpressed.

"Crush Noise!"

The attack pushed Sidier into the air but he flipped and summoned ten small red daggers which spun around their axis and had a small red glowing core.

"What?"

They circled around Shade Man and dispersed into several directions while making cuts into him: Sidier then landed next to an armored box and kicked it open: he picked up a RPG – 7 rocket launcher and mounted it on his shoulder.

"Hah. A human weapon shall never harm me. Shade Claw!" Shade Man scoffed.

The gigantic hand tried to close around Sidier but he was already jumping into the air: Shade Man wasted to time and flew towards him while reading his claws: Sidier gracefully arched across the air and shot the RPG – 7's mounted projectile: it hit Shade Man at close-quarters and he roared as the explosion took out his whole chest emblem and exposed much of his core data: he fell into the ground and clutched the wound.

"W-why, you…!" He hissed.

Sidier calmly dropped into the ground and tossed the empty weapon back inside of the box: he summoned his two swords and held them into the air before landing two blows on Shade Man's shoulders: he was pushed back and Sidier slowly licked off the blades.

"Ironic… Vampires suck blood yet I'm not a vampire and I'm sucking it up from a vampire…" He muttered with obvious amusement on his voice as he looked at his swords.

"DIE!" Shade Man roared.

"Wrong."

Sidier switched his swords' positions and he calmly plunged both of them into the exposed core: Shade Man roared as his body began to emit white energy.

"IMPOSSIBLE~!" He roared.

He suddenly blew up and Sidier let the shockwave make him fly across the air before he landed on top of the bomber: its engines began to ignite and heat up.

"Heh, heh, heh. 11:41 PM. Let's get inside of the cargo hold and get everything ready for departure! And then they said Shade Man was strong… That was nothing! The "Net Saviors" simply didn't have enough power to stand up to him. Heh, heh, heh…!" He muttered with obvious amusement.

He grinned and vanished again while the plane's engines' whistles began growing louder: "CF" Blues and "CF" Netto ran out of their hiding spot and jumped down into the main floor.

"There's no other way around: we'll have to fight Sidier inside of the plane and try to cancel its course! I don't wanna risk blowing up the engines: we could cause an oil leak which would be disastrous for the environment: I don't want another _Prestige_ to happen." "CF" Blues told "CF" Netto as they ran towards it.

"Yeah. I agree with that. We're not gonna let some freaks bring upon the end of the world like they were the rulers of everything! I'll beat them up to a pulp!" "CF" Netto confirmed.

"That's why I called you two over: my mission orders prioritize the survival of any civilization I study. Unlike that Duo lunatic, I don't have a "God" complex. I'm just a cool guy and that's all there's to it, really. But enough chit-chat: hurry it up." Tabuu added.

"We'll discuss that later… Area Steal!" "CF" Netto replied

"Good idea! Area Steal! "CF" Blues confirmed.

Both warped next to the plane's open cargo hold hatch and climbed it as the plane began taxiing across the runway: the hatch lifted up and closed while the plane shot out into the skies.

"… There goes the plane." Search Man DS signaled.

"Is it me or did I see some explosions?" Zero DS wondered.

"Dunno. But maybe it was some small fry which Sidier – sama had to blow up." Roll DS shrugged.

"Whatever. Glory to the Dark Realm! Hah, hah, hah, hah!"


	28. Chapter 27: Sky high skirmish

**Chapter 27: Sky – high skirmish**

23:45 PM (Cape Town Time), Saturday February the 18th…

"…Huh… We made it inside…"

Both "Net Saviors" stepped inside of the cargo hold and looked around: there was a door at the end of it and four columns while some pipes and panels filled the walls: the hold was illuminated by fluorescent lights.

"Look: emergency hatch opening. They should cancel the set course." "CF" Blues pointed.

"Good! Let's go for it." "CF" Netto nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, thought, those daggers materialized inside of the hold and circled around both of them: there were about three rows of ten circling in a horizontal pattern: they drew Long Sword Battle Chips.

"Hmpf. Bothersome mice…" An annoyed voice rang out.

Sidier walked out from behind the north-east column while looking rather annoyed.

"Now I see why you two weren't at the Science Labs: you made your way here and were waiting…" He muttered.

"Yeah. Blame me." Tabuu's "Gufuu" hologram told him.

"It had to be you. We were counting on you staying trapped in your own pocket dimension." Sidier growled.

"I designed it: I knew how to come out. And you guys aren't gonna release those spores into the atmosphere as long as I'm around: now that we're out of the ship, the "Converters" of this plane are working and I've set locks on them to prevent you from shutting them off. And you can't shoot the missiles out." The hologram smiled at Sidier.

"Hmpf. Each missile has their own "Converter": they can easily come out thanks to their great speed. The spores will be inhaled and Omicron particles will build up on humans' lungs and blood: it will eventually grow strong enough to trigger changes on the DNA." Sidier grinned.

"Yikes!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"What a…!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Those strong enough may get some control over it and draw power to become powerful beings which can erase all diseases and be at the top of the evolutionary chain… The weak will lose their mindset and become wild feral creatures which will kill each other… And the winners will absorb more Omicron, thus bringing upon further changes… And this is how it works on the real world. But there's a Cyber World version, too!" Sidier kept on explaining.

"No way…!" Saito gasped.

"You lowlife…!" Blues hissed.

"What! A Cyber World version too…?" Tabuu sounded panicked, for once, upon hearing it, given the hologram's face.

"Yeah! But this one works like a malicious program: it changes data at random and provokes a radical change of a Navi's data structure as well: they end up like their masters: if they can be strong enough, they can draw power from in and accomplish anything!" Sidier grinned.

"… Current time is 23:52 PM, local time. Height: 8.555 meters over sea level. Approaching missile deployment height. Warheads armed. Launch will begin in 5 minutes and first warhead container releases are estimated to happen between 23:58 PM and 0:02 AM… Strong NNW wind detected: 80% of possibilities that a radius of 80 km around False Bay will be saturated before 0:15 hours." An automated voice rang out.

"Damn! 5 minutes before launch… We gotta stop the guy!" "CF" Netto cursed aloud.

"I'll be bait. Go for the lever: one will be enough." "CF" Blues whispered.

Sidier took out his two swords and swung them to create a barrier made of several interconnected diamonds thus blocking off the other part of the hold: he then warped and quickly made two slight cuts over "CF" Netto's eyebrows before returning to his earlier position and licking the swords.

"W-wha! He cut me!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Don't worry! They're superficial." Saito relieved him.

"You two aren't going anywhere." Sidier announced.

He warped and both drew their drawn weapon to block off their vulnerable chest emblem area: both swords clashed with Sidier's ones as he spread his arms and tried to maneuver them.

"4 minutes remaining for launch start." The computer announced.

"Heh, heh, heh. And the guys on the ship are gonna time it to make Cyber Missiles show up on the skies of the major Internet Cities and they will spread their containers around: the missiles will open up their warheads and the high air friction will easily break the glass of the containers thus allowing the spores to come out. Why do you think Death has been so quiet and hasn't come out into the scene for so much time? He began planning this back on December!" Sidier grinned.

"Tabuu! Can't you do _something_ now that we're out of the ship's energy field? Don't you have that beam attack thing?" "CF" Netto called out.

"I do. But there's so little space and if Sidier warps or something I could end up triggering an early launch, even. And destroying the levers won't do it, either… Unless…" He trailed off.

"Unless…?" "CF" Blues asked.

"I'm gonna risk a little something…" He muttered.

"Gufuu" suddenly formed a VPN tunnel and the yellow beam came out while heading towards the barrier: it impacted but the barrier began to glow blood red and shot a read beam of energy back across the tunnel: they heard a sound and the tunnel closed up.

"No good. It bounced the attack with 2 times its power back to me… But since I was prepared, I just directed it into the power core to try to bring it back to 100%..." "Gufuu" looked slightly nervous.

"Whatever you do it's useless! 3 minutes left!" Sidier proclaimed.

"Gufuu" vanished all of a sudden and a "Fossa Ambience" opened on the other side of the barrier: Tabuu came out and quickly headed towards the lever: Sidier gasped and quickly brought up barriers blocking both of those off.

"Damn. This failed, too." Tabuu cursed.

"Phew. That was close… But as I said… Whatever you do is futile! No one – else can reach this plane! It has no Cyber World linking!" Sidier muttered before gloating.

"Hmmm… Ah!" Tabuu seemed to have had an idea.

He spread his wings open and folded his arms: his body began to glow with a rainbow-colored light and the barriers began to slowly dissolve and their energy built up around his body: he then opened the "Fossa Ambience" and disappeared inside before closing it up.

"W-what?" Sidier gasped.

"Oh! I see! He's doing like in our battle with him… He extracts energy, builds it up around his body and then releases it in the form of "Apocalypse Now": he must want to vent it off somewhere else far from here, but… Enzan! Go!" "CF" Netto realized before calling out to him.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade!"

"CF" Blues drew a Long Blade and then quickly blocked off Sidier's second sword while "CF" Netto headed towards the lever.

"Two minutes until missile ignition and deployment." The computer announced.

Sidier warped and appeared some meters forward: he tossed his swords towards the wires above the levels and they cut through them before getting stuck on the wall: "CF" Netto pulled the right one nevertheless and the lights suddenly shut off as the hatch began to open: the rightmost wire had remained intact.

"No…! No…! The Omicron Scheme…! Another two minutes and…! This can't be…!" He gasped.

Both "Cross Fusion" fighters held into something as the hatch kept on opening and the decompression became worse: Sidier stood there while looking shocked and he was suddenly sucked off the plane along with his swords: the plane began to descend towards the ground.

"Warning. Plotted course cancelled. Emergency landing program engaged: plain grass patch 1 kilometer long detected: starting landing approach: landing gear deployed." The computer warned.

"We did it…! Just in time…! We saved the world by 2 minutes!" "CF" Netto muttered in relief.

"Yeah… It was a miracle this wire remained intact… We should call for the UN to confiscate the plane and quarantine it somewhere. They ought to destroy the Omicron stuff and I guess it's gotta be highly flammable: some fire will do fine to dispose of it, I believe." "CF" Blues commented.

"Ah! The Cyber World…! We can't possibly get back to the ship in two minutes…! I dunno how much distance we've traveled from the start point of False Bay!" "CF" Netto suddenly gasped.

"I guess Tabuu must be working on it as we speak." "CF" Blues guessed.

"Oh! So that's why he hasn't come back yet… Let's get outside of the plane at the very least and try to contact the Net Police: they must be freaked out that we haven't been responding to them for the last hour, more or less."

The plane suddenly touched down and the engines entered reverse mode to slow it up: it still slid further along for about a whole minute and finally stopped while the engines slowly died down.

"Phew."

They both stepped out and looked around in the dim lighting: the area was a large flat patch of grass with traces of the landing gear and the plane's course: it looked rather empty and devoid of life.

"Well. No wonder. Local time… 23:58 PM… 06:58 AM in Japan." "CF" Blues muttered.

"Look… The "Dimensional Area"… It's no longer encompassing just the plane: it's extended on part of the surroundings." "CF" Netto signaled.

They heard footsteps walking over something metallic: they turned around and spotted Sidier standing atop the plane while lowering his gaze: he didn't seem to be in a good mood given his grimace.

"Damn. He hung into something and managed to stay atop the plane, after all…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"And he's surely gonna take it out on us." "CF" Blues muttered.

"… Tabuu! Show your face! You lowlife! You sabotaged the manual release for the missiles! Come out!" He roared.

"Damn. He was aiming to manually release them but Tabuu had enough time to sabotage them, luckily enough." "CF" Netto whispered.

"Don't lower your guard." "CF" Blues warned.

"Whatever! I'll make you a demonstration of it!" He roared.

He jumped into the warhead of one missile and lifted a small cover: he removed two security locks and picked a small glass cylinder filled with some pale blue small-sized spheres inside of it: the cylinder had two metallic caps at each end and looked barely half a meter long.

"Uh-oh." Both gulped.

Sidier took out his sword and made himself a large cut on his right arm before shattering the container out of applying force with the hand: the blue spores flew out and quickly got inside of his wound which closed up immediately afterwards.

"Uh… Ugh… Uh... Unh… Gruo~h!" He slowly muttered before letting out a roar of pain.

He clutched his chest and his chest emblem began to glow with a pale blue light: some vein-like patterns began to emerge from it and travel across his body while Sidier arched it back and roared: his skin's color slowly changed to metallic black.

Diamond figures began to be drawn across it: a large white diamond covered his chest area and his helmet dissolved to make his silver hair be exposed: his face also got the same coloring and he stepped back.

"He's switching into his armored form…!" "CF" Netto grasped.

"Damn. Luckily I brought a Breaker – Type Folder." "CF" Blues grumbled.

The vein-like patterns traveled across this new layer of armor and his feet and forearms got solid blue-colored claw toes or fingers into them while what looked like a tail formed beneath him and two wings came out as well: a new helmet formed around him and assumed the form of a beast's face.

"T-that's…! He's recreating the 3rd "Juuka Style"…! It must have something to do with the "Zero Virus"!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Omicron must be reacting to his data structure, I guess… The only remaining part to see is if he retains his mind or not…" "CF" Blues muttered with a hint of fear.

"Power…! POWER! POWER! I have POWER! Power…! With this power, I'll destroy all enemies who oppose Emperor S – sama starting with you two lowlifes…! No need for _Infinite Naraku_…! This form alone is going to destroy you lowlifes! I'll enjoy crushing each bone and drawing the torment on before slicing your heads off your necks!" He roared with obvious hatred on his voice.

"Sidier! What have you done?" Saruba's voice rang out.

"Emperor S – sama. I am going to make those two pay because Omicron Scheme has failed!" He reported.

"I know it failed. But I didn't give you permission to torture or kill them, did I? Shade Man was an eyesore to everyone so I didn't say anything about that guy. But this is a different tale altogether, Sidier." Saruba grumbled.

"Please, my Lord! Grant me permission!" Sidier requested.

"No. Permission denied."

"But, my Lord…! This is a unique chance to get rid of some of our enemies, isn't it?"

"We'll talk it later. You can beat them but no more." Saruba settled.

"Yes, my Lord… By your orders, sir…" Sidier grumbled.

"I'll be looking on but I'd quite shameful if I had to pull you out by force because you were exceeding yourself, wouldn't it?" Saruba warned.

"There'll be no problems, my Lord… Am I allowed to beat them out of "Cross Fusion" at the very least?"

"That you can do. But once you do, get outta there ASAP. And don't worry about the plane: Death – dono is heading over there to retrieve the missiles' contents: everything else is expendable since we picked it off other parties, anyway." Saruba replied.

"Roger."

He jumped off the ship into the ground while leaving deep imprints on place as he walked over to both of them.

"Golden Fist, Silver Fist!"

"Zeus Hammer, Drill Arm!"

Both of them prepared Breaker Type attacks as Sidier suddenly stopped and signaled all eight cardinal directions: eight pale blue electrical spheres formed around him and they frizzled with energy: they interconnected and shot electricity at Sidier's chest diamond: it glowed with a red and yellow light as something began to form on it.

"Huh? What could that be?" "CF" Netto wondered.

"Dunno…" "CF" Blues trailed off.

It now could be seen that it was the handle for some kind of sword which was colored black: Sidier closed his right hand on it and slowly pulled it out until it completely came out and he held it up: it was a purple blade made of three diamond shapes and having a black-colored Sojo Clan crest aiming down on the hilt's drawing.

"T-that sword…! Twilight used it back in May when we had the final battle against him…!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"He had it inside of him the whole time?" "CF" Blues wondered.

"No. I formed it out here and now. And it's yearning to beat you lowlifes up…" Sidier grinned.

He lifted his left hand and the spheres began to shoot streaks of blue electricity at the "Net Saviors": they managed to dodge somehow but suddenly found Sidier in front of them: he kicked them on the stomach area and made them fly across the air until they hit the grassy soil in a hard manner.

"Maybe it's a good thing I didn't have breakfast, after all…" "CF" Netto sarcastically muttered.

"Yeah. Guess so." Saito muttered.

"Enzan – sama! Are you alright, sir?" Blues asked.

"Yeah. Stand up, Netto! Here they come!" "CF" Blues replied.

In effect: Sidier was speeding towards them by using the beat of his wings to propel himself: both managed to stand up and roll out of the area as Sidier shot past them: he quickly braked and aimed for "CF" Blues: he saw the enemy coming so he got his two Fist Battle Chips ready.

"Come!" He challenged.

"Hah. Be gone." Sidier laughed.

He tried to hit "CF" Blues with his new sword but he gripped it with both hands and began to apply pressure into it: the thing surprisingly didn't get any cracks on it or looked like it was going to be broken.

"This sword is not susceptible to Breaker Attacks! You lowlife can't destroy it with any Battle Chips!" Sidier proclaimed.

His eight spheres showed up and focused the electricity in one beam which hit "CF" Blues' chest emblem and electrocuted his body: he yelled and stepped back as Sidier aimed his sword towards there.

"I won't let you! Drill Arm, Area Steal!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

He warped and appeared to Sidier's right: he began to plunge the Drill Arm into his right shoulder but Sidier looked unaffected.

"You lowlife's turn will come later." He merely announced.

He delivered a kick with his left leg to "CF" Netto's lower jaw which pushed him away: he snapped his free hand's fingers a circular barrier formed around him as well as covering the open upper end: "CF" Netto was trapped inside.

"There. Watch how I defeat this guy and I'll then make sure to make you lowlife taste despair." He announced.

"Shit." "CF" Netto growled.

"I've gotten bored of playing with you lowlife. Go to you lowlife's office and be a bureaucrat." Sidier told "CF" Blues.

He brandished his sword and spun around his own axis with it thus hitting "CF" Blues with force and leaving a window for attack: Sidier then began striking him down by lifting the blade and bringing it down as well as using horizontal swings: he finally plunged it into "CF" Blues' chest emblem and his "Cross Fusion" was shattered.

"Shit." Enzan growled.

Sidier signaled him with his left hand's index finger: a "Dimensional Converter" emerged from the ground and warped him and his Link PET outside of the area.

"One down… Hikari… You lowlife are next. You lowlife get to taste the _Infinite Naraku_!" He announced.

"Damn." "CF" Netto growled.

The barrier dispersed and some data formed on the ground to give way to an irregular-edge circle-shaped platform made of transparent orange tiles as well as some green dots: the thing lifted about 30 meters into the air with both of them atop its surface.

"I'll make you lowlife fall down and, by the time you lowlife reach the ground, you lowlife will have regretted challenging us! I'll make you lowlife beg for mercy and cry out in agony!" Sidier announced in a sinister manner.

"Sidier. That last part was unnecessary." Saruba criticized him with a hint of annoyance.

"… Roger, my Lord. Then… I will simply humiliate this guy." Sidier acknowledged.

"If it's just that, then I won't complain. But don't break the guy up: he's still useful."

"CF" Netto glanced at the plane and spotted Death Shadow working on the missiles' warheads: he was picking the containers out with care and storing them of some kind of armored box with several individual compartments built inside of it: the box looked rather full so it was obvious that he was going to finish soon.

"Damn. They're stalling for time so that Death can pick those up… Can't be helped, I guess… I'll have to try to settle it quickly if I want to spot the guy from running off…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"Netto – kun! Coming!" Saito warned.

Sidier walked over towards him while dragging the sword across the ground and making a loud metallic shriek sound which was rather painful to hear.

"Damn. He's trying to make me dizzy with that sound… I guess Somari taught him that." He cursed.

Sidier then held it up and suddenly shot out a horizontal ring of fire which flew towards "CF" Netto: he gasped and used his Drill Arm to intercept it: Sidier didn't stop there and quickly ran forward: "CF" Netto jumped towards the left and inward to dodge his ram but Sidier quickly swung the sword towards that direction and the angle pushed "CF" Netto out of the platform because his feet hadn't touched the ground yet: he fell and another platform formed 5 meters below the first one.

"Huh! Too close!"

Sidier jumped down while aiming his blade downwards and towards "CF" Netto's chest emblem: he quickly rolled over the ground and stood up as Sidier's sword got stuck in the ground: Sidier struggled to tear it off but it seemed to have gotten too deeply embedded.

"Chance!" "CF" Netto muttered.

He used his Drill Arm and quickly plunged it into Sidier's white diamond chest: Sidier growled and swung his armored tail to push "CF" Netto back as he managed to get the sword out of the ground.

"Damn. The tail can attack, too…" He grumbled.

Sidier held his sword out and it shone with a purple aura: he then hit the ground with it and purple-colored Flame Towers began to emerge at random around the area.

"Guess this is one of Omicron's side effects…" He muttered.

Sidier then beat his wings and the resulting gusts of wind began to slowly push "CF" Netto back as he tried to shield his vulnerable spot: Sidier roared and dashed forward: he hit "CF" Netto's upper chest with his head and pushed him off and he fell into a third platform 20 meters above the ground level.

"Shit. 3rd platform already… I need to inflict more damage!" "CF" Netto growled.

Sidier fell down and he still looked in top shape: some more blue vein-like patterns had shown around his body's surface thus giving him an even creepier look.

"It's about time to get serious." He muttered aloud.

He suddenly dashed forward but "CF" Netto ignited his jets to fly over him: he then gripped his wings and began to pull at them to keep him on place: Sidier growled something as he tried using the tail to hit "CF" Netto: he ducked and then planted his right foot on Sidier's back to apply more force: some cracks formed at the joints.

"Come… OUT!"

The wings came off while their weight pushed "CF" Netto into the ground together with the stress he'd applied.

"There! No more winged beat." He muttered.

He suddenly noticed how an insane amount of blue Omicron spores were being released and flying out: some fell into his body and faded away while "CF" Netto gasped in fear and tried to crawl away.

"N-no…! No..! No…!" He uttered.

"Calm down, Netto – kun! Those earlier cuts have already cicatrized and you have the mouth guard on: you can't breathe those." Saito tried to calm him down.

"Wait… Enzan said he thought this was flammable, so… It's worth a try: we could turn the whole thing around!" "CF" Netto muttered.

He suddenly found Sidier in front of him: he tackled him into the ground and began to strangle him while "CF" Netto tried to shake him off by repeatedly kicking his chest diamond.

"SIDIER!" Saruba roared

"Huh!" Sidier gasped.

He let go and stepped back while muttering something under his breath.

"Are you trying to SCREW my orders?" Saruba roared.

"N-no! My Lord! I owe my life to thou! I would never do so! I swore obedience to thou person and I will uphold it, my Lord!" He quickly saluted.

"Look! This isn't the moment to imitate Video Man!" Saruba hissed.

"Yes, sir…! Eh… I think it was a side-effect of Omicron… I lowered my concentration and it began staining my personality file…" Sidier apologized.

"Grfjtx!" Saruba still sounded annoyed.

"It won't happen again, my Lord!"

"Aren't you supposed to be "superior" and be able to wholly control Omicron? Prove it!" Saruba ordered.

"Yes, sir…! By your orders…!" He saluted.

He assumed a combat pose as his wounds closed up: he drew the sword and seemed to adopt a Fumikomizan pose.

"Battle Chip, Salamander!" "CF" Netto announced.

"No way!" Sidier gasped in horror, for once.

The Salamander's heat set ablaze the air and caused several explosions: the heat began to make Sidier's armor crack and fall down to reveal his normal form. "CF" Netto then tackled him and they jumped off the platform while heading towards a small puddle: Sidier roared as his whole armored skin fell off and his tail burnt away.

"Yeah! That did it!"

He dropped the sword and it fell into the ground before dematerializing: both impacted against the puddle and caused its sudden boiling: a white vapor filled the area.

"Did that do it…?" "CF" Netto wondered.

He stepped away and assumed a combat ready pose as the white vapor slowly cleared: Sidier had managed to stand although he had several burnt marks on his body and looked fatigued.

"Omicron…! Is gone…! My power…! Destroyed by this hellish fire…! By this idiot…! By this meddling barbarian…! This fool…! This imbecile…!" He grumbled.

"That's enough, Sidier! Return!" Saruba commanded.

"Yes, sir…! I'll remember this!" He threatened to them.

"No grudges." Saruba icily warned Sidier.

"Y-yes, sir…! Farewell!" He gulped.

He dematerialized while leaving those diamond shaped patterns on the air: "CF" Netto ran towards the plane and checked the missiles' warheads: they were all open and empty.

"Damn. Death retrieved all of them. This is bad. They could do it again and with another method!" "CF" Netto cursed.

"Yeah. We really need a miracle to happen." Saito grumbled.

"Maybe I could help." Tabuu's voice rang out.

He floated down and hovered some centimeters above the ground while "CF" Netto turned to look at him.

"You just proved it's extremely flammable. Well then, let's shoot fire at the missiles or capsules and we'll destroy it before it can be spread anywhere." He suggested.

"Oh! Good idea. Yeah. That'd do." "CF" Netto sounded enthusiastic.

"Netto? Do you copy?" Enzan's voice rang out through the radio.

"Enzan! Are you alright?" "CF" Netto asked.

"That's what I should be asking! The line was jammed!" Enzan nervously replied.

"I'm fine: I forced Sidier to run for it. The stuff is really flammable and we should take it into mind." "CF" Netto reported.

"Phew! Thank goodness…" Enzan sighed in relief.

"Sorry if I took long to show up again: I had to make all the way to the pocket dimension to release the energy: I was afraid of harming something. The power core is now at 90% power and the nanomachines will take care of fixing the rest." Tabuu explained.

"Could you get us home? I wanna sleep: I feel beaten." "CF" Netto suddenly yawned.

"Can't blame you: it's gotta be one of the most hysterical dawns we've ever had." Saito yawned as well.

"Sure. I'll be keeping an eye out to make sure they don't anything else but I really doubt them: they must be plotting how to get rid of me." Tabuu shrugged.

He opened the "Fossa Ambience": "CF" Netto released his "Cross Fusion" and picked the Link PET before stepping through it and ending up in their bedroom: the PC's screensaver read 07:45 AM: the crack closed up behind him.

"It's not even 8 o'clock… But I suddenly don't feel like sleeping. I just want to have something for breakfast." Netto muttered.

Saito materialized and seemed to be thinking about something: he then shrugged and followed Netto downstairs: there was no-one.

"Hum. Mama must be napping."

They silently picked some toasts and applied either strawberry jam or oil to them: they sat in front of each other and calmly ate while drinking water.

"… Unh… Boss…?"

Max picked the cell phone from the side desk: he was already dressed up and looked ready to come out to go buy the bread.

"Boss?"

"Yeah. I got out of the place and with some help I barely prevented the end of the world." Tabuu confirmed.

"W-what did you say?" He gasped.

"Ask the twins for the details. I'll be taking care of surveillance and everything so keep on the normal routine."

"Eh… Roger."

"Good. I'll be busy so don't be surprised if you don't get much contact from me in the days to come." Tabuu simply told him.

"O. K." Max acknowledged.

"Bye."

The call ended and Max pocketed the cell phone while still looking rather surprised.

"Guess I'll have to talk about it with Saito… If Boss said that then it had to be something serious…! End the world, he said…! Yamikawa and the others have gone mad or what? I suspect Death Shadow had something to do with it: why do aliens always want to bring end to our world? First it was Duo and now this guy… Is this the "Alien Curse"? Well. Boss wouldn't do that… But since he's gotten used to Earth's behaviors and such then he's an exception." He muttered.

He exited the house and locked the front door as he came out into the street and headed elsewhere: most of the city was still deserted given the early hour.

_Something tells me no – one will get to notice anything and that the Net Police will be working non-stop to prevent any leakage of the news which could throw society in panic. What are the _triumvirate_ guys gonna do next, then? _

He sighed and kept on strolling down the streets as the sun began to slowly lift over the horizon and illuminate the area.

_No bunch of crazy guys is gonna end this world when they want to: we'll stop them no matter how much it takes to do that!_

He brought out his phone and began to check something but he seemed surprised as he lifted his eyebrows.

_No news. Well. If it just happened a little while ago and it was like, what, something which wasn't broadcasted or anything… Then it's not surprising: maybe they'll be lucky and will be able to keep the whole deal hush-hush to prevent mass panic. Although people have a mania of trying to predict the end of the world or coming up with some date… Stop thinking about such gloomy thinks and try to see the positive side to things! Be energetic and keep on as you are! As long as Boss is around then those guys stand no chance! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!_


	29. Chapter 28: Hunter & hunted

**Chapter 28: Hunter & hunted**

16:25 PM (Japan Time), Monday February the 20th…

"… Have you heard the rumor, though? They say that something big happened yesterday morning… Well, Saturday night, in South Africa, some kilometers to the north east of Cape Town… There's a fuss about a missile-equipped bomber which had landed in a sudden manner in one empty field and the UN security troops came and took it away… One puddle nearby had totally dried up as well and there were marks of several people having been there."

"Are ya sure it wasn't a movie?"

"No! It wasn't, Dekao – kun!"

"It'd seem Enzan was up to somethin'! He vanished in a mysterious manner before 7:00 AM and returned a while later: he looked like he'd been in a fight!"

"So? Mr. Universe won't confirm or deny anything?"

"I'm not allowed to."

"That's a first!"

Hikawa had begun a talk as he, Dekao, Yaito, Meiru, Netto and Eboshi came out of the school that afternoon: Netto looked unimpressed and Meiru had a smug smile on her face.

"Ah. But who found out about your hobby?" Meiru teased.

"The same circumstances won't come to happen twice. Besides, there's a prohibition to speak about this over the PET even by using secure communication channels." Netto dully replied.

"Hah! I know it!" Dekao suddenly announced.

Everyone directed skeptical glares at him but he seemed to ignore them.

"They can't talk 'bout it 'cause the aliens came and the UN captured 'em to seal them in Area 51!" He exclaimed.

"Believe what you want." Netto drily replied.

"Dekao – kun. You've seen _Independence Day_ and now believe it really happened and there was a cover-up." Meiru told him.

"Yikes! Meiru – chan! Please don't be so hostile!" He pleaded.

"Good afternoon." Yuriko told them as walked over to the group.

"Hello, Yuriko. Do we have any news?" Netto asked.

"No. Those guys have suddenly turned quiet. I guess they're up to something but they want to stay low for the time being." Yuriko replied with a sigh.

"I see. Well… Let's get home."

The group calmly split to head for each of their houses and Netto soon reached his: he calmly walked inside and sighed in relief.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome!"

Netto took out his shoes and headed upstairs into the bedroom: he jumped into the bed and looked face-up as Saito materialized and sighed in relief.

"Phew. I hate not being honest with everyone but this is very sensible. It's been hard enough to keep it between us "Net Saviors": we didn't tell Jasmine, Dingo, Raoul, Meiru – chan, Charlie and Tesla… The less people who know, the less the risk of a leak… And I don't think those guys want to bring publicity into them, either." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. And I won't disagree that going for it on Sunday morning was rather worth it: all of my nerves and stress seemed to be replaced by new energies." Netto glanced at him.

"I'm sorry I dragged you along, otouto…" Saito blushed.

"Don't be guilty, niisan. I think that the thing isn't that bad if you're _willing_ to go through it."

"Guess so… Then that must be why there seem to be an endless amount of videos out there… I obviously erased all traces but I'm sure I'm not the only 13 year old boy who wants to have a sneak peek into that…"

"… Say… Should we really go and hit Raoul on the back of his head with something? We need his serious mood back."

"Yeah. I'd love helping Thunder Man out on that one." Saito smiled.

"Hello?" Forte's voice rang out through the speakers.

"Oh. Forte. What's up?" Saito asked.

"Nothing new… The only noticeable thing is the Cut Man Brothers putting up some kind of "strategy" but it'd seem it'll backfire on them again. This silence really picks me. Didn't Tabuu say anything?" Forte grumbled.

"No. We haven't seen him ever since yesterday and Max was told that he'd be taking care of everything." Netto replied.

"Well. Excuse me, then."

The "Eye" showed up behind Forte and he turned to face them.

"Sorry if I didn't physically come: I'm somewhat busy. I've confirmed the guys are looking up other approaches to their Omicron Scheme and even set a decoy depot of the Cyber World capsules in a place named Hunt Square. As if it wasn't ironic enough, they've assigned Hunter Man to watch but I still dunno where the real cache is at." Tabuu explained.

"Hmpf. Why don't we make it look like we're dancing to their tune? They might get confident and make a bold move which will expose the location of the true cache and we can then destroy it." Saito grinned.

"Well… The best way to deal with a trap is to trigger it, so…"

"Going alone is reckless." Netto warned.

"I know. Let's bring both Needle Man and Shadow Man. Forte and Freeze Man should be enough to keep any other guys busy. We could always tell the others that they're storing a powerful Virus program capable of hijacking all Net Navis: it's believable enough."

"Good plan. I'll be watching, too. And since they're decoys, there's no need to worry. But let's pretend they worry us and hold back to make it more realistic. We must set them up to give them the feeling that we're the prey which stepped into the trap."

"Let's go, then."

"… Here's the place."

Rock Man, Shadow Man and Needle Man ran into the so-called "Hunt Square" somewhere in Internet City a few minutes later: there were metallic catwalks around a non-functioning fountain and a building on the north end: it didn't have any windows and the door was sealed with metallic chains and padlocks connect to them.

"It looks like this is the place. And the "weapon" must be inside of the warehouse. We should be careful. It's some kind of Virus which can hijack a Navi." Rock Man warned.

"Yeah! But I won't let you guys make another step forward. Charged Shotgun Blast!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

A blast of energy hit the floor but the three of them had already jumped into the air: they flipped and landed down in one platform before drawing their default weapons and aiming ahead of them: Hunter Man was there and his shotgun was smoking.

"Che. There was watch!" Rock Man grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah! Bah! That punk can't take on the three of us at the same time!" Needle Man grinned.

"Let's slaughter this one's foul perfume." Shadow Man chuckled.

"P-perfume…! I don't use perfume! I'm a man! I'm called Hunter _Man_ for something!" Hunter Man growled.

"Who knows?" Shadow Man shrugged.

The very air suddenly seemed to freeze and ice began to form around the metallic structures and fountain.

"What?"

A breathing sound (similar to Darth Vader's one) could be heard slowly increasing in volume: sinister slow footsteps rang out as well.

"Crap. I know who's there." Rock Man muttered.

There was a blue flash of energy and something suddenly shot a mad speed towards Needle Man: it rammed into him and pushed him out of the platform while having made a big deep wound on his body: he was automatically logged out.

"What the hell! One hit and Needle Man is out? Is that…?" Shadow Man cursed.

"Watch out!"

Rock Man tackled Shadow Man into the ground just as a sphere about the size of a baseball shot past them: it seemed to have two exact dome-shaped halves with curved patterns emerging from a small circle at the top of each dome: there was a small space between each one which revealed some kind of grooves to help it crawl in different surfaces: pale blue light came out from inside.

"Damn! Death Shadow!" Shadow Man cursed.

"This is getting out of control!" Miyabi hissed.

The sphere bounced off the ground and it suddenly opened: a small figure came out of it while being on a crouched pose: it expanded in size and the two domes reverted to another size before attaching to the shoulders: Death Shadow landed ahead of them in a dramatic manner: his left leg was kneeled and his left hand hit the ground of the catwalk: his upper body was inclined forward as well.

"… Indeed." He announced.

He slowly stood up and looked towards them while bringing up the arm cannon: a small portable missile had been loaded into it: both Rock Man and Shadow Man managed to stand up and growl: the situation had suddenly spiraled out of control.

"Ice Tower!"

"Ugo~h!"

An Ice Tower formed beneath Hunter Man and it plunged into his chest as he was lifted skywards: it then shattered and he fell into the ground with violence thus actually collapsing part of the catwalk because of its half-frozen state.

"Groah… I feel like… I'd fallen off the Empire State… Building…!" He groaned.

"You lowlife." Death hissed.

Freeze Man showed in front of him while hovering in the air and having his classical smug smile on.

"Your own trap backfired." Freeze Man told him.

"Che. But you people came here in vain: this place is a cage for mice like you people." Death scoffed.

"Yeah. And we're gonna show ya why." An amused voice rang out.

Someone suddenly grabbed Rock Man from behind by the neck and aimed what looked like a slightly curved and indented blade colored red at his chest emblem: Rock Man looked over his right shoulder to see Dark Ryuusei there.

"Saruba…!" He cursed.

"Sidier still needs a while to recover and to cool off, so… I'm still lookin' for somethin' useful." Dark Ryuusei told him.

"You still wanna rob my "Ultimate Program", then!" Rock Man cursed.

"Bingo. Navis must be bored of dull routine! Let them try to evolve inside of our world. If Sidier's three musketeers could, anyone can when they realize how. And given our "Transition Program", they could always come out and teach you guys what evolution is about... By the way… Smooth body. I'm not surprised you have so many fans." Dark Ryuusei eagerly announced while whispering something.

Rock Man, however, used a _judo_ technique to throw Dark Ryuusei into the ground in front of him: Shadow Man drew his _katana_ and aimed it at him as he rubbed his body.

"Ouch… _Judo_…" He grumbled.

"I'd say you lowlife's ambitions won't come anywhere anytime soon, Yamikawa." Shadow Man told him.

"Heh… Well then… How about I get serious? Saito! You defeated me once but that was because I couldn't use my ace in the sleeve. But today will be different!" Dark Ryuusei grinned as he stood up.

"Damn." Both of them hissed.

"R-Program: Execute! Hra~h!"

A golden burst of energy formed from his chest and encompassed his whole body before dimming but remaining as a permanent thin glow which grew in brightness and then faded.

"Shit." Both growled.

"Black End Galaxy!"

Dark Ryuusei formed a black sphere of energy and tossed it behind his opponents: it suddenly grew in size and became a black swirling vortex which began to suck everything around its perimeter.

"Heh."

He then drew the red sword again and shot forward at a mad speed while swinging the blade when he reached their chests: he kept on flying past them and stopped behind the black swirling vortex.

"Uack!"

The vortex collapsed in a brutal explosion which swept the area and blinded all sensors for five seconds.

"Hmpf."

"Uwra~h!"

The catwalk had been wholly destroyed and both Shadow Man and Rock Man were trapped under the debris of them, defeated.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh. This is the Ryuusei Program at a 90% power: 15% above that copy I gave Golden Star! Had it been at a 100%, you'd been back in your PETs by now!" He announced.

"Fantastic." Death muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Shit." Freeze Man scowled.

"Hell's Buster!"

Some shots rained down around Dark Ryuusei and he let them bounce off his armor as Forte suddenly ran into the area.

"Yamikawa! I'm your opponent!" He exclaimed.

"Forte! Perfect. I wanted to take on a heavy – duty guy." Dark Ryuusei grinned.

"Rock Man! Plug Out!"

"Shadow Man! Plug Out!"

"Hunter Man! Plug Out!"

Three of the Navis departed while Freeze Man focused again on Death: he jumped to avoid the missile which hit the ground and opened a crater on it with its explosion.

"Forte! Take this! Red Gaia Eraser!" Dark Ryuusei announced.

He suddenly formed two round yellowish disks having some black pieces forming an edge: they floated above Forte in inclined positions and shot two red streams of continuous energy across the ground in an inclined manner.

"Grah! Huh? Ah!"

Before Forte could react, Dark Ryuusei had shot a brutally powerful red stream of energy at him and a gigantic dome-shaped explosion ensued: it was powerful enough to blind all of the sensors again.

"Ugra~h!"

All of the earlier debris along with the fountain had been blow up and a large crater had opened: Freeze Man had been taken in by the explosion and was lying on the bottom of it while covered with some more catalk debris.

"Ugh… Gruh… Grah…!"

Forte was standing although he looked rather wounded while Death had reverted to his spheroid state to shield himself.

"D-damn…! And this is… 90%!" Forte growled.

"Yeah. At a 100%, I'd been able to blow you up in one attack!" Dark Ryuusei grinned.

His chest emblem pulsated and his golden glow vanished as the energy flew off into the form of an sphere colored golden and then merged back with his body: he wiped some sweat off the forehead.

"Not yet…! Darkness Overload!"

Forte shot his most powerful attack at Dark Ryuusei and it impacted him fully: the smoke cleared but his body was glowing with a purple aura and he had a smug smile on his face.

"Pain Punishment!" He announced.

He extended his arms open and the purple aura concentrated in the form of a clearly hyper-charged Darkness Overload: it shot towards Forte and he barely jumped out in time as it hit the last remaining catwalk and blew it into bits and bytes.

"Heh, heh, heh. Your hands are tied, Forte." He chuckled.

"Why, you…!" Forte hissed.

"Anyway… I've got some stuff to take care of, so… I'll leave it here for today. It was a good enough episode. _Ciao_!" He grinned.

"Shit."

"Then… I shall go back to work. My _Delta Strategy_ is almost complete: you lowlifes shall see how we have laid the foundations for the warfare of this world in the years to come." Death announced.

"Y-you lowlife…!" Freeze Man hissed.

Death laughed and slowly faded away until he couldn't be seen: the atmosphere returned to the normal temperature and Forte collapsed on his knees.

"Damn. This is endless! Even at my 100%, I can't stand up to a 90% Yamikawa! Tabuu! Do something! If we keep like this then we're all sitting ducks!" Forte growled at his "Eye".

"Hmmm… I've begun thinking of a plan. I'll need a little while to work it out, but… It could work. And it could solve this without the need to have to try to defeat all of them or round them up. Not even I am invincible, mind you." Tabuu told them.

"Fine. Whatever it is, try to hurry it up. I don't believe we'll able to survive much longer like this."

"Ah… If we can at least destroy their true cache, then we'd gain some room to maneuver…" Freeze Man muttered as he tried to stand up.

"Huff! Yeah. I'll mark that Priority One: I'll put my little idea into Priority Two. Go and rest: I'll check on them."

"Where can we _physically_ find you at…?" Forte asked.

"The control tower atop the Great Tower, in "Beyondard"… I can manage things from there thanks to its computer power."

"Roger… Ugh… Let's go back, Forte…" Freeze Man told him.

"Y-yeah… Good bye…" Forte groaned.

"Damn it! We almost got blown up there." Netto cursed.

"Things are getting chaotic…! What can we do?" Saito groaned.

"Shit. I don't know…! Is there no end to this?"


	30. Chapter 29: Bloodshed

**Chapter 29: "Bloodshed"**

18:48 PM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 20th…

"… So? What's next, Saruba?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Listen…"

"We'll listen to the big boy, yeah."

Solo and Somari were speaking with Saruba inside of the Sky Room in the Great Sky Temple: Saruba looked amused and so did the other two.

"We're gonna push 'em to the very limit. I've come up with "Dimensional Converters" which can create a "Dark Area": a reverse engineered version of the "safe zones" we came up with to allow them to have an easier time travelling around the lands." Saruba explained.

"Cool! And, this way, we can bring 100% of our power out!" Solo looked excited.

"Tee, heh, heh!" Somari giggled.

"And we still have the Omicron cache ready to be used anytime: those guys must be feeling hyper tense and short of breath. Let's arrange for a final showdown on Friday. We'll go out full power. And those guys will be filled with fear and terror. But we'll leave an inch of life to them so that they remember it and be afraid of us." Saruba added as he walked down from the throne.

"Heh, heh, heh. I like that police. We aren't killers. Omicron Scheme just lets Omicron itself decide. The result is out of our control. And we don't want to "rule" them, either." Solo chuckled.

"Of course not. That word's a taboo for us, you know, Solo." Somari told him with a skeptical look.

"Don't quarrel. If those idiots who believe they're in charge of everything think they'll do that forever, History will knock at their door sooner or later: it's inevitable." Saruba shrugged.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… We're geniuses!"

20:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… You two look down."

"Well…"

"Things are getting complicated…"

The twins were having dinner and they looked somewhat down: Haruka seemed concerned by it.

"My… It'd seem you're under a lot of pressure." Haruka commented.

"Yeah. We are. The bad guys won't have enough and they're overwhelming us." Netto admitted.

"We hope nothing big happens during the week: yesterday was way too intense for us… And the merit of it is that we endured through that eternal while without breakfast." Saito yawned.

"Don't try to push yourselves or you'll break down." Haruka warned.

"_Hai_~…" Both confirmed.

Haruka set some dishes in the cleansing machine as the twins finished up cleansing and taking everything off the table.

"Good night." Both announced.

"Good night."

They climbed upstairs and entered the bedroom: Netto prepared his stuff for the institute while Saito checked the PET: there was nothing new.

"Nothing…"

A mail suddenly entered with the usual beep.

"…"From Jiiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro and Rokuro to Rock Man… We're gonna find ya sooner or later and our new strategy will be a success no matter what Freeze Man – sama might say! Get ready, you _tsujigiri_ cold-blooded Navi killer!" … The Cut Man Brothers… _Tsujigiri_? Why don't you tell that to that Knife Man guy or Shadow Man?"

"Yeah. I guess their grandpa dramatized it so much that they ended up believing they actually were the "good guys" fighting to avenge their fallen brother… By all the…! The guy tried to make that dam break and flood a valley with countless persons on it! That grandpa guy should've told them what he was doing there to begin with!" Netto growled.

"I'm writing to Shadow Man. He'll be amused to go and teach them some lessons on reality. There." Saito replied as he typed into the PET's screen.

He left it on top of the desk and he climbed into the bed: both soon fell asleep.

"… Good evening."

"Oh! Shadow Man – dono!"

Choro, the Cut Man elder, was speaking with Shadow Man inside of the house-like building.

"Did you ever tell your disciples about what was the slain brother doing in that dam to begin with?" Shadow Man went straight to the point.

"Well…" He trailed off.

"I guess that's "no"." Shadow Man calmly guessed.

"But…" He seemingly tried to argue.

"I'm afraid that your disciples will lose all faith in you once they get a hold of that their brother tried to flood a whole valley and kill lots in a totally non honorable manner. To fall in battle has always been regarded as part of us Japan men. Is that not it?" Shadow Man exposed.

"Wha~t?" Five voices rang out.

The five Cut Man Brothers suddenly ran in and looked baffled.

"Choro – sama! Why didn't you tell us about that? Ani – chan was actually trying to break a damn up to flood a valley?" Jiiro gasped.

"Hey! And we didn't know being defeated in battle was honorable to begin with!" The other four added.

"Could I really let you be nice with the enemy back then?" Choro grumbled.

"Ah…" The five of them trailed off.

"One life hardly balances hundreds or thousands, they say." Shadow Man warned.

"But… Aren't you a killer?" Saburo argued.

"Hmpf. That was before. I changed my views."

"Oh crap. And all we've done ever since December 2004 has been in vain?" Rokuro cursed.

"No way!" The other two groaned.

"Settle it yourselves. I'm off." Shadow Man grumbled.

He disappeared and the five Cut Man Brothers faced Choro: he sweated and looked nervous.

"We want some explanations, Choro – sama!" They all growled.

"Huh… What a mess…" Choro muttered.

"… Bloodshed… A vicious circle… Sans end… Yet… In the midst of such despair a glint of hope shines…"

"Heh, heh, heh. It sounds like we'll have a creepy week, alright. Heh, heh, heh, heh."

"Do not interrupt me, Skull Man."

"Che. You're too stiff sometimes, Miyuki."

Miyuki was glancing into her crystal sphere with that hollow and cold glare of hers while Skull Man looked slightly annoyed at her stiff attitude.

"… This Friday… History shall be written… Which shall be strongest? Evil? Right? It is too early to tell. Let Fate decide which one shall have the right to live and which one shall be erased. The gears have been in motion and are grinding to an end…" She muttered.

21:11 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. This new coding on my "Cross Fusion" form will allow me to gain the upper hand against Hikari. I'll love beating the guy over and over again until he ends up begging."

"Perfect, Shun – sama."

"Despair is exquisite to taste."

Obihiro and Hunter Man were working on something while Death looked on: he sounded amused.

"Well! Thanks for the idea, Death. Who are ya gonna tackle on Friday, anyway?" Obihiro asked him.

"I shall have Freeze Man: let us see who can bring a quick cold end to those foolish ones faster." He announced.

"There goes Death for you: he's always right in the mark." Obihiro chuckled.

"Yeah. Let them taste fear." Hunter Man grinned.

"Oh! By the way, Death… What'd happen if a host containing Omicron was to die or be deleted?" Obihiro asked.

"Ah. Good question. Omicron dies with the host, be it data or flesh and blood. It is as simple as that." Death admitted.

"Is Shun – sama thinking of something?" Hunter Man guessed.

"Yeah. Let's pick some Viruses and infect them with Omicron: we'll see how stronger they become! The "Net Saviors" will have a painful experience in trying to defeat them. Heh, heh, heh." Obihiro exposed.

"Good. A preview of the forthcoming terror… I approve it. And I am sure Emperor S shall also be amused by your idea, Obihiro." Death sounded amused.

"Heh. Rock Man… You lowlife will realize what powerlessness is about over and over again… It's the Infinite _Naraku_ V2!" Hunter Man grinned.

09:58 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 21st…

"… And this has gotta be the calm before the storm."

"Yeah. It sure is."

Internet City was full of activity like every normal day: Navis went up and down doing errands or talking: Thunder Man and Shadow Man were talking as they walked down a street full of other Navis.

"Is your Operator still obsessed playing _alter ego_?" Shadow Man asked with a hint of amusement.

"Jeez. I want someone to go and hit him on the back of his head with a hammer: I prefer his old usual behavior! Blues' Operator really messed it up even if he didn't want to!" Thunder Man growled.

Shadow Man chuckled while Thunder Man sighed: he then spotted a wood walling which seemed to have been set hastily to cover up an alley's entrance.

"Weird. I'm sure that wasn't there last time I came." Thunder Man seemed to frown.

"I don't recall seeing it yesterday, either. There's a note: "Warning. Fierce animals. Do not trespass. Deletion danger. D. S." … If this is supposed to be a joke then I don't see the point of it." Shadow Man read before muttering aloud.

Something suddenly emitted a loud device whine sound and an object broke out of inside the paneling in a quick manner: it hit Shadow Man and propelled him and Thunder Man across the street and crashing with a building's base: it then bounced across the sides of the two buildings in each end of the street while climbing and leaving large dents on its wake: it reached the roof of the building in front of them and spun in the air before it emitted a pale blue glow and Death Shadow landed on that roof before standing up.

"Hah, hah, hah…" He laughed.

"Who…?" Thunder Man growled.

"Damn! Death Shadow!" Shadow Man growled.

"Come out! Animals!" Death Shadow commanded.

A horde of gray-colored Viruses with a pale blue glow to their bodies ran out and spread around Internet City thus triggering total chaos: both fighters grumbled and tried to stand up.

"These Viruses have been powered up with Omicron! They can enter _Hyper Mode_ and use their internal Omicron to increase their attack strength!" Death announced.

"Shit." Shadow Man growled.

"It sounds like it'll be painful…" Thunder Man grimly muttered.

"Hoa~h!"

"Ah. The guest is here." Death looked at the alley.

A gray-colored Air Man with a pale blue glow to his body stepped out: his eyes were pale blue and looked lifeless while some strange vein-like patterns had been drawn across his body and his right arm had been equipped with some kind of arm cannon similar to Death Shadow's one.

"See how Omicron rules over the weak! This is a small preview of what awaits you lowlifes." Death proclaimed.

"Hoa~h! Tornado~!"

Air Man's fan turned on and he formed a blue-colored tornado with some tendril-like shapes coming out of its body.

"Dodge it! That "Omicron" thing is a malware which infects your Navi body and can hijack it!" Shadow Man warned.

"Damn."

Both jumped atop the building and Air Man's tornado hit it before he jumped out and his body's glow increased: he charged up blue energy on his arm cannon before shooting a beam which left a hole in the roof.

"That is Hyper Mode! Taste despair!" Death shouted.

"Ice Tower!"

The Ice Tower plunged into Air Man's fan and it pierced through his body: he groaned and tried to move his body: the Ice Tower vanished and he hit the roof with force.

"Freeze Man. Perfect… I knew you lowlife would come out." Death sounded amused.

Freeze Man appeared in front of him while having adopted a battle pose: Death simply aimed his arm cannon at him.

"I shall let you lowlife taste Hyper Mode, too." He proclaimed.

"Thunder Man! Electrify my _katana_: I'm going to deliver the finish blow to this one." Shadow Man told him as he held it out.

"Roger! Elec Beam!"

Thunder Man powered the _katana_ and Shadow Man plunged it into Air Man's body through the hole made by Freeze Man: it hit what looked like a core which shrieked and was deleted along with Air Man.

"W-what? The core shrieked…? What the hell was that? That wasn't any normal malware! What the hell have they come up with? Some kind of monster?" Thunder Man gasped.

"It'd seem they want it to imitate a parasite…" Shadow Man muttered aloud.

They heard some explosion sounds and looked towards the Internet City Stadium: there was a power field surrounding it and explosions were ringing out inside of its body.

"I see. They've lured the small fry there to contain it and fight it… It must be Hell inside of that." Shadow Man guessed.

"Uo~h!"

Freeze Man crashed into their roof while having a large hit mark on his upper body armor: he groaned and tried to stand up while trying to ignore the painful blows on his body.

"D-damn. The Death Ball is able to emit electricity and it moves faster than Quick Man, even…!" He cursed.

The Death Ball suddenly shot past them across the air and they heard something being dropped in the crater Air Man had made: it looked like a pill-shaped metallic white container the central section of which had two parallel stripes plus a small LED which was quickly switching from green to yellow and to red before starting to blink.

"T-this is…!" Shadow Man gasped.

A brutal energy release ensued and part of the building's upper floors collapsed: the group of three groaned and cursed as they tried to push the debris off them: the area felt unusually hot and some fires were burning, too: dust was settling as well.

"Shit…! Death Shadow's Death Bombs! I'd forgotten them!" Shadow Man groaned.

"M-me too…" Freeze Man groaned.

"D-damn… And you say that that Sidier guy and that Yamikawa guy aren't at 100% power and they can beat us so easily… This is turning into a free fall into the ocean!" Thunder Man cursed.

"A-at this rate… we'll be dead by Friday…!" Shadow Man hissed.

"Freeze Man! Are you alright? Do you copy? Over!" Forte's voice rang out through his radio.

"Forte…! Ugh… We're still alive, if that's a relief… What's going on in the Stadium?" Freeze Man replied.

"We're managing to destroy them by fooling them into friendly fire when in Hyper Mode! Only five or six are left… Wait! What's that? It's coming from the outside." Forte reported before he gasped.

"Shit." Shadow Man growled.

They heard the sound of something colliding with the energy field and static filled the line before an explosion rang out.

"Damn! Death Shadow! The jerk propelled a "Double" into the field and overloaded it!" Forte growled over the radio.

"How is it, mortal fools? Can you lowlifes taste the despair which comes before unending blackness?" Death laughed.

"Guts, guts! Mega Guts Punch!"

"Oi! Guts Man! Stay away from…!" Forte scolded.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… Come at me. I shall fulfill the desire of you lowlife." Death laughed.

There was a sound and Guts Man uttered some undecipherable sounds over the radio channel before he seemingly collapsed into the ground.

"My Blue Beam can steal the energy of a Navi body. This one is left with just 5 HP. I could have destroyed it but that is not the purpose of this episode." Death could be heard announcing.

"Damn. Yamikawa is really nuts if he thinks this is an episode of some show!" Forte growled.

"Ah. But did not Twilight start the trend?" Death laughed.

"The lowlife… He laughed at us until the very last moment!" Forte growled in clear annoyance.

"Pray until Friday: History shall be changed. And not even Tabuu can stop that: that one is not the all-powerful God you lowlifes foolishly think it is! It is but a mere Net Navi. We shall find its weakness and then quickly terminate it. Hah, hah, hah, hah!" Death proclaimed.

"Damn. He ran away… At least the Viruses have been deleted, but… I don't know if we'll be able to survive when Friday comes. Damn it. Twilight was pale compared to these guys, really! The fucker!" Forte grimly muttered over the radio.

"Shit. This is no "incident": it's become open war! And they're already craving our graves…!" Shadow Man hissed.

"This whole thing has gone crazy!" Thunder Man groaned.

11:03 AM (Japan Time)…

"… What a crazy morning. And if this is supposed to make us feel pressured then they've hit the bull's eye."

"Yeah. It'll be hard to keep ourselves under control."

Netto and Saito were arguing about what had happened earlier in the morning: both looked down and defeated.

"… Eh… Well… Sorry for butting in, but… My little idea might work, after all." Tabuu's voice rang out.

Saito looked over his right shoulder to see "Gufuu" there and he calmly looked at it while he lifted the right eyebrow.

"Ah. What's it about?" Saito asked.

"Well… I'm a bit nervous about speaking of it, but… I've stayed up over 30 hours to work on the simulations and it'd seem it's something possible. Let's say that if it works then this conflict can end without any deaths or disgraces." Tabuu sounded slightly unsure, for once.

"Well… If you say so…" Netto frowned.

"Sorry. It's a habit I got from _Aibou_: he was reluctant to speak about things which were hard to believe out of fear that he'd end up making a fool of himself…"

"Do as you like. But we're going to battle them with all we have." Saito calmly replied.

"Sure. I'll be waiting to intervene: this war must come to a close. See you around, I hope." Tabuu sighed.

"Gufuu" vanished: Saito sighed and Netto leant his chair backwards.

"War… This is war. And we must end it now before it spirals outta control." Netto grimly muttered.

"It may even be our final battle… The hardest of them." Saito muttered.

Both remained silent: a gray storm loomed ahead of them.


	31. Chapter 30: The Last Face Offs

**Chapter 30: The Last Face-Offs**

16:28 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 24th…

"… Time… 16:30 PM. Good. Dark Area: Engage!"

"Tee, heh, heh… Finally!"

"History shall be changed today!"

"Heh. So it'd seem."

Saruba, Somari, Solo and Sidier were looking at a holographic screen depicting how four "Dimensional Converters" colored purple emerged and formed a "Dimensional Area" of the same color: the interior was filled with the same purple fog which was part of the Dark Realm and a large round gateway opened ahead of them.

"Battle Form: Engage!" The four of them announced.

They all assumed their battle forms (with Sidier engaging his armored form) and jumped into the gateway.

"… This is the place."

"Yeah. The grunt has to be close by."

"The _genius_ is close by, yeah."

"And the hunter also is."

Netto had stepped into an abandoned warehouse: Obihiro walked out behind a pile of wooden crates and having his Link PET on the right hand plus a "Dark Synchro Chip" on his left one.

"Obihiro…" Netto made a grimace.

"Hikari. The day to settle the score has come. No "Synchronizer" will save your skin this time around. And don't count on the "Vaccine Chip": I've upgraded the "Dark Synchro Chip" to be immune to it… Heh, heh, heh. I'm a genius." Obihiro chuckled.

"Hunter Man…!" Saito made a grimace.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'll soon expose your head in our living room as my personal hunt trophy!" Hunter Man chuckled.

"Dimensional Area: Engage!" Obihiro commanded.

Four normal "Dimensional Converters" appeared and formed a classical "Dimensional Area": Netto took out his "Synchro Chip" next.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Dark Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both performed Cross Fusion: "CF" Netto's design was the usual one while "CF" Obihiro's was clearly customized.

He looked almost identical to Hunter Man, although his torso had some lines which formed a square-shaped skull around its width and height.

He gained a mouth guard which had fangs painted there and he looked terrifying enough by now.

Some purple-colored lines spiraled around the whole length of the legs and arms as well.

"Hmpf. I'm gonna beat you over and over again until you beg mercy to me… I'll enjoy this." "CF" Obihiro made a smug smile.

"The one who's gonna beg is you. I'm gonna toss you into a reformatory center!" "CF" Netto shot back.

"Hah. But then my buddies can easily get me outta such a crappy place, see! Whatever you do is futile, Hikari!" "CF" Obihiro laughed.

"Battle Chip, Elec Blade, Fire Blade! Double Slot In!"

"Come! Hikari!" "CF" Obihiro challenged.

"CF" Netto jumped into the air and his right foot hit a column: he used it to gain a new boost and then dropped behind "CF" Obihiro: he tried to hit him with the two swords but there was a cloud of smoke and a log appeared on his place: "CF" Netto simply jumped to the right to dodge the three _shuriken_ and ran towards "CF" Obihiro as he landed into the ground.

"Take this! Charged Shotgun Blast!" He grinned.

"Area Steal!"

"CF" Netto warped and appeared behind "CF" Obihiro: he plunged both blades into his body from behind and then kicked his butt to make him roll forward across the ground: "CF" Obihiro groaned and managed to stand up while using his left hand to rub the hit area.

"Ouch… I got too confident… No more fooling around! I'm gonna make you cry in pain." "CF" Obihiro cursed.

"You're the one who is gonna cry in pain after you taste _this_." "CF" Netto coolly replied.

He used another Area Steal and appeared in front of "CF" Obihiro: he kicked his balls and "CF" Obihiro let out a large groan of pain as he clutched that area out of instinct.

"Not yet!" "CF" Netto announced.

He lifted him with both hands by closing them around the neck and hit "CF" Obihiro's helmet forehead with his thus causing an echo-like sound to ring out inside of "CF" Obihiro's helmet: he whipped him around until he tossed him against a pile of old _futons_: he landed on them face-down and was seemingly trying to recover from the pain and dizziness.

"There. That was better. I vented off my bad mood. Now I can fight in a focused manner." "CF" Netto muttered.

"Well… I can't say it was the best way to do that, Netto – kun, but it couldn't be helped." Saito told him.

"Shun – sama? Are you alright, sir?" Hunter Man asked.

"Y-yeah… Somehow… Man… I talk too much!" He groaned.

"It would seem Hikari's tactics rely on unconventional warfare to confuse Shun – sama." Hunter Man reported.

"Just say that he's improvising out of the blue!" "CF" Obihiro growled with clear annoyance.

"Yes, sir. By your orders, sir." Hunter Man acknowledged.

"What happened to those earlier guts, Obihiro? Did I crush them too hard or what?" "CF" Netto taunted.

"Shit. Flame Shotgun!"

"CF" Obihiro shot two blasts of flame attribute towards "CF" Netto: he calmly used his Jet Vernier to fly upwards and drew a Yo-yo Battle Chip.

"Yo-yo!"

The Yo-yo coiled around the right arm's shotgun and "CF" Netto tugged the wire to drag "CF" Obihiro across the ground before reeling it in and grabbing him by closing his right arm around his neck: he then tried to aim "CF" Obihiro's shotgun at his chest emblem but the guy was struggling to aim it backwards instead.

"I'm gonna blow your head out!" "CF" Obihiro roared.

"Yeah? Saruba ordered you to?" "CF" Netto was unimpressed.

"No! But he'll appreciate the favor!" "CF" Obihiro shot back.

"No. I won't, Obihiro. Don't go outside of my instructions." Saruba's voice rang out through the radio.

"Yes, sir…! I was trying to be menacing, sir!" "

"That's fine. But remember: today we're just going to beat it. Let frustration and powerlessness do the rest."

"Darkness Overload!" Forte's voice could be heard on his end.

"Heh. Pain Barrier!"

There was an explosion sound and a large cry of agony belonging to Forte over the channel.

"Damn! Saruba! What have you done to Forte?"

"Ah… Don't fret! I just shot his attack back at him with 2 times its usual output! He's almost dead but still standing… Remarkable!"

"S-shit…! You lowlife…!" Forte cursed.

"Forte! Don't let that creep win!" "CF" Netto encouraged.

"Yeah! You creep! Go back to the library you came out from!" Forte sarcastically challenged.

"Heh, heh, heh. Well then… I'll close the channel. _Good luck_! _No pain, no gain_! Heh, heh, heh!" Saruba chuckled.

"CF" Netto then cancelled the Yo-yo and forced "CF" Obihiro's shotgun to shot forward: the recoil pushed them back but "CF" Netto let go and dropped into the ground while "CF" Obihiro hit the concrete wall with violence and left a crater on it: he then slid down into the ground and fell into his knees.

"Is that all, Obihiro? You look no better than me when I was a rookie "Cross Fusion" user, two years ago." "CF" Netto taunted.

"Shit. That happens to me for wanting to use simulations instead of trying to do real combat…" "CF" Obihiro groaned.

"Shun – sama: use the trump card, sir!" Hunter Man suggested.

"Can't be helped… I'm sure it'll work fine." "CF" Obihiro muttered.

He materialized an Omicron container and "CF" Netto gasped in horror: "CF" Obihiro then switched his shotgun for a Long Sword and made a cut to the Navi flesh: he shattered the container and let all of it come inside before the wound healed and he recovered the shotgun.

"Heh… Omicron will only affect the Navi's body. My human body will be unaffected as long as I don't breathe it in. Heh, heh, heh." "CF" Obihiro muttered.

Several small blue-colored spots appeared on his body and drew veins or nerves across it with several cores which then linked to a growing blue dome forming over the chest emblem: it looked like a blue liquid in movement with tendril-like extensions: the shotgun's barrels shone with blue energy and began to load up while "CF" Obihiro's eyes glowed red from beneath the shades.

"What power! Shun – sama: the "Cross Fusion" battle potential has been increased! We can access Hyper Mode, too!" Hunter Man eagerly reported aloud.

"Hah, hah, hah…! Now you will wish you hadn't driven me to such ends, Hikari…" "CF" Obihiro laughed.

"Shit." "CF" Netto hissed.

"… Of all places this guy had to show up here… Sonic Boom!"

"Flying Knuckles!"

"CF" Blues was fighting Burai DS inside of a "Dark Area" set in the IPC tower's rooftop: he shot a Sonic Boom but Burai DS countered with glowing purple fists which flew across the air and hit "CF" Blues after nullifying his Sonic Boom.

"Grah…! I feel like he was hitting me with a steel beam…!" "CF" Blues groaned and panted.

"There's more." Burai DS grinned.

He suddenly warped and appeared in front of "CF" Blues: he hit him with the right arm, left leg, right leg and left arm before ramming into his chest using his head: "CF" Blues groaned and stepped back.

"Shit. Drill Arm!"

He tried hit Burai DS but the guy merely grinned and stepped in a curved manner towards the left to allow "CF" Blues to move forward due to his own inertia: he then used his right leg to trip him and make him drop into the ground.

"Shit. He's not fighting for real even though he's at 100% power… Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!"

The Program Advance hit Burai DS fully and ended up delivering some minor scratches and wounds to him but he didn't seem to mind them as he walked towards "CF" Blues.

"Wanna go to the disco, cutie?" Burai DS joked.

"Tell that to Raoul." "CF" Blues sarcastically shot back.

"… Achoo!"

"Oi! Raoul! Did ya get a cold? That's your problem for wearing that stupid disguise!"

"Oh. Shut up."

Raoul blew his nose with a handkerchief and grumbled something under his breath while Thunder Man rolled his eyes.

"… Heh, heh, heh. Hmmm… You're not half-bad, Ijuuin." Burai DS muttered after he set his gaze on the spot where "CF" Blues' privates were covered by the bodysuit.

"What the… This guy has X – Ray vision or what?" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Sort of, yeah… Anyway… Let's get serious." He shrugged.

He materialized a strange black sword made of several curved and shaped pieces into his right hand and swung it horizontally as if challenging "CF" Blues with it: "CF" Blues drew a Neo Variable Sword.

"Sword VS Sword! Let's get this show on the road, Ijuuin!" Burai DS challenged.

"Fine! I won't lose when it comes to swords!" "CF" Blues replied.

They clashed swords and struggled in the deadlock before breaking away and clashing again while quickly switching the angle and strength of each attack: "CF" Blues ducked and managed to make a large cut slightly over the stomach area on Burai's bodysuit: he ignored it and kept on striking back with his sword.

"Damn. I'm not getting anywhere." "CF" Blues hissed.

"Maybe a close-quarters attack would do, Enzan – sama?" Blues suggested.

"Tank Cannon!"

The blast hit Burai DS and left a large burn mark on his body: he grinned and materialized an Omicron container.

"No way!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"Yeah! Heh, heh, heh. This stuff is fantastic and you'll see why right here and now." Burai DS chuckled.

He shattered it and let the particles enter into his body through his multiple wounds: the usual effect happened and Burai's body glowed with that pale blue halo: his sword got those nerve-like patterns drawn all across its surface and that dome-shaped core formed on the middle of Burai DS' chest.

"Heh, heh, heh… Ah… Refreshing! You can't imagine how having such power at your disposal feels like! The only pity is that I've gotta sacrifice 50 HP each time to enter Hyper Mode… But I can deliver up to 100 HP of damage until I run out of reserve energy!" Burai DS announced.

"Damn. All of his attacks always were combos which barely summed up 100 HP, but… This thing will be painful!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"So, Ijuuin… I'll show you how a pro does it like." Burai DS enigmatically announced.

"Shit." "CF" Blues growled.

"Enter Hyper Mode! Dedicate 50 HP! Double my Laplace Blade's attack power!" He announced.

The core shone and some veins grew in thickness and glow as energy travelled across them and into the blade thus making it be covered by a new layer of energy.

"Ready or not… I'm comin'!" He told him.

"… Groah!"

"Laika – sama!"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"CF" Laika was pushed into the ground by Sidier's trademark sword: "CF" Laika had the Samurai Sword drawn on his right arm and he was fighting in the rooftop of the Net Police HQ: Sidier had the armored form on.

"So! Laika. I thought you were an expert on fencing!" Sidier taunted with a grin.

"I am!" "CF" Laika growled as he stood up.

"Ah. But it'd seem you aren't really used to such speed and power! My 100% power is something terrifying to taste. The only pity is that I can't use Omicron anymore because my body has built antibodies against it: all of that fire killed it but I don't care." Sidier chuckled.

"Damn. I'm getting all beaten up by a guy two years younger than me… If Uncle gets a hold of this he'll scold me like never before." "CF" Laika grimly muttered.

"Hmmm… Not bad…" Sidier muttered as he licked the blade.

"Shit. This guy's a leech, too…" "CF" Laika hissed.

"Hrah!"

Sidier stepped forward like in fencing and plunged his sword forward: "CF" Laika brought his Samurai Sword up just in time to block it off: Sidier grinned and brought up those blade-shaped items which shot four lasers at "CF" Laika: he tried to ignore the pain and delivered a kick to Sidier's right knee: a minimal crack formed on it.

"Triple Bomb!"

"CF" Laika jumped back and threw the Triple Bomb at the right knee: the explosion made the right leg's armor fall off and expose the normal Navi skin beneath it: Sidier didn't seem to care as he used his left leg to kick "CF" Laika's upper torso and make him fall into the ground: he then made a slight and superficial cut over his right eyebrow and licked the stain of blood on the sword.

"Yeah… Blood has this salty flavor to it… Salty and tasty…" He muttered.

"Damn. Freeze Bullet!"

"CF" Laika switched ammunition and shot at Sidier's right arm to trap it inside of an ice mass and immobilizing it up.

"Scope Gun!"

The shot from the Scope Gun shattered the ice and it caused that arm's armor to fall off, too: Sidier merely switched the sword for the larger and wider sword which he'd used the other day.

"Demon Tribe Sword! Take this!"

He hit "CF" Laika with it on the upper torso and left a deep cut on it which seemed to almost all tear the Navi armor off: he then used it to shatter the Samurai Sword.

"Heh, heh, heh. You'll taste despair, Laika. It'll be juicy." Sidier told him with a grin.

"This is insane!" "CF" Laika uttered.

"Who knows? Maybe society has lost sanity and needs the S3 Plan to pick whoever is still sane out there."

"What S3 Plan?" Search Man demanded.

"_Selection for Social Sanity_: that's the S3 Plan. Ring up the _Aikokushatachi_ A.K.A. The Patriots and ask 'em what this stuff is about." Sidier told him with a grin.

"I suspect Kuroumi told you that and you got it out of a game." "CF" Laika grumbled.

"Sharp, aren't cha?" Sidier teased.

"Che. Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"

The Program Advance, shot at close quarters, made some more layers of armor fall off Sidier's body thus leaving only the ones around his head and helmet: Sidier didn't seem to care.

"Heh. This is what despair means." He muttered.

His armor suddenly regenerated and seemed to increase in thickness.

"Damn. He tricked me. Now I'm doomed: I just happen to know it." "CF" Laika grimly muttered.

16:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Roll Arrow!"

"Tee, heh, heh! Shock Strings!"

"CF" Roll was battling Harp Note DS in the docks near the sea and atop some of the cargo containers: she shot her arrow but it got caught in some guitar strings which shot forward and coiled around "CF" Roll's waist although her arms were left free: Harp Note DS pulled towards her and grinned.

"So? You've got Hikari under control, Sakurai?" She whispered.

"It's none of your stuff, Kagehi." She drily shot back.

"Yeah! Go back to that silly Tiffany Case: you only quoted her 'cause you wanted to troll us by saying LOL: Laughing Out Loud!" Roll added with some annoyance.

"Ah. But Hikari will be forced to revise his opinion soon enough… I think you see what I hint at." She whispered.

"Jeez. I doubt that will convince the blockhead." "CF" Roll shot back in an unimpressed manner.

"Tee, heh, heh. Well then… Let's keep this little show on." She giggled and swung her guitar to cut the strings.

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Pain Barrier!"

The Pain Barrier was a purple-colored bubble-shaped aura which surrounded Harp Note DS and took in the Giga Cannon's blast: it then frizzled with purple electricity and it shot a powerful blast back at "CF" Roll: she clenched her teeth and didn't yell as the streaks of electricity frizzled around her body.

"Crap. I forgot about that stuff… But I'm not going to be the damsel in distress anymore! I can fight and I'll use that power to bring you down somehow, Kagehi!" She muttered before speaking aloud.

"Tee, heh, heh. Good reply, Sakurai. Come and let's compose a song capable of piercing Hikari's eardrums!" She giggled.

"Jeez. I don't need that." "CF" Roll muttered.

"Shock Note!"

Harp Note DS played a note with her guitar and it materialized while shooting towards "CF" Roll: she dodged and focused.

"Huff! Recovery 100! Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Zeta Cannon!"

This Program Advance did meet its target and delivered damage to Harp Note DS: she folded her arms to cover and then looked up with a grin on her face without minding several wounds on her body.

"Good, Sakurai, good… Channel out that jealousy and act the cool composed girl… Do you know about Eva?" She teased.

"Eva…? Yeah! They told me: the resurrected Evil Roll! And if there wasn't enough there's a second copy as well…! Why couldn't they make a copy of that Meddy?" "CF" Roll muttered with some annoyance.

"Yeah! And have they insulting each other forever." Roll giggled.

"Not a bad idea… But you'll need some more stuff to draw a cool-looking transfer student into your subtle claws." Harp Note DS teased.

"Will you stop speaking about that in public? That's a private and personal thing!" "CF" Roll snapped at Harp Note DS.

"Tee, heh, heh. Ah… But no – one can hear us, anyway! Unless you go by the proverb that "ears have walls"…" She giggled.

"Enough chit-chat! Super Vulcan!"

"Shake Down!"

The rounds of the Super Vulcan bounced off a hollow-heart-shaped purple attack originating from the guitar.

"Crap." "CF" Roll muttered.

"So? Did you break that glass of flowers?" Harp Note DS sounded like she was teasing.

"Why, you…! Don't butt into that stuff!" "CF" Roll made a grimace.

"Ah… Yeah, yeah… Taboo, taboo… Oh! I just realized… Tabuu is the _katakana_ transcription of Taboo… So the guy is a taboo to begin with! Tee, heh, heh!" Harp Note DS exclaimed.

"I'm starting to be fed up with this talk… Custom Bolt!" "CF" Roll annoyingly muttered.

She shot the blast at Harp Note DS and she didn't flinch at all: she then warped and appeared in front of "CF" Roll while seemingly looking downwards towards the ground.

"Ah. I'd forgotten. _Medusa's Hall_… That's gotta be you girls' taboo, ain't that right?" She teased.

"Y-you're that type of person, too…!" "CF" Roll looked like she was starting to get angry.

"Meiru – chan! Cool it down! She's trying to provoke you into a reckless attack!" Roll warned.

"Huh! Boomerang! Hell's Burner!"

The boomerang forced Harp Note DS to jump over it and she then used her sound waves to deflect the Hell's Burner fire: "CF" Roll got distracted and the boomerang hit her back from behind: she mumbled something and flipped some meters back.

"Well… Playtime is over, Sakurai. It's time to get serious." Harp Note DS shrugged.

She materialized the container and inflicted a wound to her body to allow the particles to go inside: she glowed and replaced her guitar for what looked like a flamethrower device.

"I'll burn that fake skin of yours and expose your true colors."

"Bring it on!" "CF" Roll challenged.

17:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Icicle Fall!"

"Hah."

"Oof!"

Freeze Man was battling Death Shadow inside of a normal "Dimensional Area" within a frozen and barren landscape somewhere: Freeze Man had tried to recreate the snowstorm falling outside of them but Death Shadow rammed into him using his Death Ball form: Freeze Man recoiled and growled as he shielded his arms from minimal and multiple explosions caused by small spheroid bombs placed on the area as the Death Ball moved through the ground at a mad speed.

"Damn. Is there no end to it?" He cursed.

"No. There is no end… Wander amidst blindness and false faith… Your eyes shall be burnt out… And you shall wander in blackness forever… Such is your fate!" Death proclaimed as he kept on zigzagging around and planting bombs.

"Enough…! Ice Tower!"

Several Ice Towers popped out and one propelled the Death Ball upwards but was unable to pierce through its body: Death reverted out of the sphere and seemingly inputted some commands into his arm cannon: it began to load up and his body glowed with blue light.

"Taste the power of Hyper Mode." He calmly announced.

"Curse Shield!"

The blast shot by Death bounced off and hit Death on the chest thus propelling him backwards until he hit the edge of the "Dimensional Area" and was electrocuted: he uttered an inhuman growl before stepping forward while seemingly ignoring the smoke on his body.

"Hah. That was nothing. I shall show you what I can really do and you shall regret trying to oppose me." Death proclaimed.

"Damn." Freeze Man muttered.

He lowered his right leg and crouched to assume a pose reminiscent of an athlete about to begin running a race: he then jumped into the air twice and inclined his body forward while closing his arms around the knees: energy waves formed around him as he somersaulted across the air and turning into a rotating energy blade.

"Shit. Mountain Spear! Hi Cannon!" Freeze Man growled.

He shot both attacks but were destroyed by Death: he then made contact and left a circular saw-like wound on Freeze Man's upper body armor as he stepped back and growled: Death landed on the ground and assumed his normal pose: he shot a small missile which impact Freeze Man and shattered his upper body armor, opening a grave wound.

"Ugh…! As I thought… I'm no rival... for this one…!" He growled.

"CROSS FUSION!" A voice rang out.

Both looked at the east end of the "Dimensional Area": someone was using "Cross Fusion" to make it inside of its perimeter: Freeze Man gasped.

"Hmpf. Backup?" Death sounded unimpressed.

Freeze Man used the chance to retreat while the "Cross Fusion" user was revealed to be "CF" Miyabi.

"Miyabi. Perfect. Death VS Assassin… This is starting to sound worth my time, even." Death sounded amused.

"Get ready! Shadow Blade!" "CF" Miyabi replied.

"Death Screw!"

Death used the same attack again and its force made "CF" Miyabi's _katana_ swords fly out his hands and he was hit: "CF" Miyabi stepped back but then drew the Muramasa Blade and plunged it inside of Death's arm cannon as he tried to shoot the missile: it blew the missile inside and destroyed the arm cannon from the inside thus revealing Death's right arm hidden inside of the cannon as well.

"Hmpf." He sounded unimpressed.

His body glowed and some black spots emerged from the "eye" patterns in the chest armor: they crawled towards the blow arm cannon and it began to slowly regenerate.

"What!" "CF" Miyabi gasped.

"My auto – repair nanomachines can repair anything. It was a desperate attempt but it failed. I shall slowly take your life away like a _Dementor_ in those _Harry Potter_ movies." Death laughed.

"This guy is crazy." Shadow Man grumbled.

"Death Fire!"

Death summoned a "Double" and began to shoot a continuous beam of fire from his now-repaired arm cannon along with the "Double" as they spun around while keeping their backs glued: "CF" Miyabi had to duck to avoid the attack.

"Ugh! That was close." He muttered.

"Death Spheres!"

Death and two "Doubles" jumped into the air and shot blue spheres from several heights to bombard the ground around "CF" Miyabi: he jumped and plunged both swords into one of the enemies' neck: it exploded and he was pushed into the ground.

"Shit. Failed… This is bad. The curry might get cold."

"Heh. You said that over one year ago when you were fighting that "Zoan" Blizzard Man guy." Shadow Man sounded amused.

"No joke will allow you lowlifes to survive. Vanish."

He turned into the Death Ball and deployed a Death Bomb: "CF" Miyabi gasped and the bomb detonated while engulfing the whole ground into a large explosion.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!"

17:21 PM (Japan Time)…

"… D-damn! Recovery 300! Hell's Buster!"

"My. It tickles, even."

"W-what does it take to stop you…? An army…?"

"Heh. An army, you say? Wrong! You aren't trying hard enough: that's the reason, Forte."

Forte was fighting Dark Ryuusei in the public gardens as they were encompassed within a "Dark Area": Forte looked wounded and tired while Dark Ryuusei only had a few wounds and looked in top shape: his body was glowing, too, to indicate that he had absorbed an Omicron container's contents.

"Thousand Kick!"

Dark Ryuusei moved in front of Forte and began to deliver several kicks at different parts of his body before kicking his balls: Forte suddenly gripped his right leg and tugged it to make Dark Ryuusei fall into the ground: Forte then grabbed the other and forced the guy to roll over before he jumped and began to choke him: Forte's eyes glowed with hatred and looked like he wasn't conscious of what he was doing: Dark Ryuusei tried to break free using his hands but Forte seemed to be stronger: he then charged up his buster and shot a missile at close-quarters: again, Forte didn't seem to notice.

"G-grah… I'm a Navi, but…! If it keeps like this…! My program will shut down…! Area Steal!" Dark Ryuusei coughed.

He warped out of the spot and Forte kept the same pose: Dark Ryuusei appeared behind him and shot another missile at him and Forte seemed to snap out of it.

"W-what? This pain… What was I doing…?" He muttered.

"It'd seem your anger took a hold of you. But that was amusing. It'd seem the _Dark Side_ is knocking at your door. Blame Sidious' machinations, Fortet." Dark Ryusuei grinned.

"Why, you…! I won't let the _Dark Side_ manipulate me!" Forte hissed with some annoyance.

"Then prove it." Dark Ryuusei challenged.

"You asked for it! Darkness Overload!" Forte yelled.

The attack impacted Dark Ryuusei and he clenched his teeth as he was forced to step back and drop into his knees: he began to pant and he seemed have suffered real damage.

"What timing, really… The Hyper Mode wore off… But I've still got 250 HP left, so… I'll dedicate these 50 HP to initiate Hyper Mode again! Hah, hah, hah!" Dark Ryuusei muttered before laughing.

His body glowed and his core emitted strong flashes of bluish light as he stood up and looked at his shining arm cannon.

"_Round 2_: and Higure – san won't be cheating it this time around!" Dark Ryuusei announced.

"The "Darkloid Bowl" Man Incident…" Forte grumbled.

"… Achoo! De masu!"

"I told you it wasn't good to wear just a shirt at this time of the year, Yamitarou…"

Higure blew his nose with a handkerchief and looked puzzled while Number Man seemed unimpressed.

"Weird, de masu. I thought someone was speaking badly of me, de masu… My imagination, de masu?" He wondered.

"Dunno. Ask Mr. Cupid of love. Maybe the guy knows it." Number Man sarcastically replied.

"A~h! I still haven't declared to Mariko – sensei~! De masu~! I forgot to do that on the most important day of the year because I happened to find a new ultra Rare Chip for my collection, de masu~! What a disgrace, de masu~! The world's gonna end, de masu~!" He yelled and began to run around the area behind the counter.

17:28 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Uwa~h!"

CRASH!

"Grah… I feel like when "Zoan" Quick Man slashed my back during the assault on the research ship…!"

"Netto – kun! Focus!"

"CF" Netto had been propelled against some of the crates and he groaned as he tried to break free of his half-embedded position: "CF" Obihiro's shotgun was shining with a pale blue halo and was loading up.

"Yeah! Groan more! You'll eventually have to concede defeat and powerlessness will devour you, Hikari!" He laughed aloud in a hysterical manner.

"The guy's either imitating a video game guy or Omicron is making his sadistic side show up…" "CF" Netto groaned.

"Hah, hah, hah! This is just the onset of this war, Hikari! You guys are powerless against evolution! This power…! It was meant to be ruled by those strong!" "CF" Obihiro laughed.

"Obihiro? It's me, Burai DS. Ijuuin is down. How's it goin'?" Solo asked over the radio.

"Ah. Kuroumi – sama… Hikari will be joining the "fallen ones" roster in a matter of a minute." "CF" Obihiro reported.

"This is Death. Freeze Man and Miyabi had to pull out." Death laughed in his icy voice.

"Tee, heh, heh. Sakurai didn't have enough stuff, so she's surely gone to France to gain more of it." Somari giggled.

"It'd seem almost everyone is ahead of me… Forte was never a guy to be taken down easily. But that will change today." Saruba reported.

"Hell's Buster!" Forte yelled over the radio.

"Hah. Laika ended up testing despair before I beat him." Sidier laughed.

"I've seen enough of this pointless war. This war is going to end here and now." A familiar voice rang out inside of the warehouse.

A "Fossa Ambience" opened up and a golden-colored energy shockwave expanded out of there: it hit "CF" Obihiro and his body slowly began to take on a gray color.

"Huh! W-what…? I can't move… My consciousness is… disappearing! Tabuu…! We… forgot… about the guy…! Groa~h!" "CF" Obihiro muttered before letting out a cry of agony.

His body turned totally gray and he remained immobile: some similar cries could be heard over the yet open radio channel.

"Huh? Yamikawa has… turned into stone or something like that… he won't move at all!" Forte sounded surprised.

"Tabuu?" "CF" Netto wondered.

Tabuu came out of the "Fossa Ambience" and let out a sigh of relief as he looked at both of them.

"Hikari. You haven't got anything broken, have you?" Tabuu asked him in a concerned tone.

"Huh? Bones…? No. I'm intact." "CF" Netto replied as he managed to break free and stand up.

"Tabuu! Is this your so-called "solution"?" Forte asked.

"That's the first step. The second one is the most delicate one: recalibration."

"Recalibration…? You mean their memories?" Saito grasped.

"Yeah. I'm going to slightly alter them: they won't remember about Omicron or about having started this conflict. They'll keep on being connected but they'll think they met by coincidence: Obihiro, Hunter Man and Death Shadow will believe they always were independent researchers on new robotics and armor compounds."

"Huh…"

"… While the Dark Realm will forget all about "Omicron" and their ambitions yet be in contact with those guys." He explained.

"Whoa. Eh… But there's the possibility of their memories returning one day, right? I mean…" "CF" Netto argued.

"Yeah. But this has a 95% probability of working as planned for several years. Max and Eva will keep on checking it out."

"What, you're leaving?" Forte asked.

"It's just a little side-quest… I've gotta find some artifacts which my masters are interested in. But I'll be back in a breeze: I don't expect to take a month even."

"What are you gonna do for the time being? Make them return to their places?" "CF" Netto asked.

"Yeah. You guys should be able to head back soon: I'll work on the delicate recalibration and then contact you at the Science Labs. This war is over as of today. But always be ready: I'm not all-powerful or perfect and this is something very extreme for me: it'll take me time to gather enough energy if I had to do this again."

The "Fossa Ambience" sucked the frozen "CF" Obihiro inside and then closed: Tabuu then swung his wings.

"Good. I brought them to the Great Tower. I'll be working there so please don't try to contact me for a while. Remember: I'll go report to the Science Labs around 20:00 PM, more or less." Tabuu announced.

He opened the "Fossa Ambience" again and flew inside before it closed: the "Dimensional" Area in the warehouse faded and "CF" Netto cancelled his "Cross Fusion" before picked his Link PET.

"Let's go home and rest for a while. But we can be glad: this war is over and we can finally be at rest."

"Yeah. Let's go home: a new chapter is gonna start today!"


	32. Chapter 31: Reset

**Chapter 31: Reset**

18:33 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 24th…

"… Shun – sama? Are you alright, sir? Shun – sama?"

"Hmmm?"

Obihiro Shun yawned and stretched: he slowly sat up from the sofa he'd been sleeping in and rubbed his eyes: Hunter Man was standing in a firm manner next to him.

"Huh… Hunter Man… Did I fall asleep or what?" Obihiro yawned.

"Yes, sir. You've been sleeping for over two hours, so… I got a bit concerned and checked on Shun – sama…" Hunter Man reported with a hint of concern.

"Man. That happens to me 'cause I tried to stay up late and wake up too early… That new armor compound formula keeps on making me go nerve-racking because I'm sure I made a fatal mistake somewhere and it's the reason all heat and vibration tests fail." Obihiro yawned.

"Is that so? Death suggested the same thing to me and he's going over the formula while checking several databases there and there: he hopes to locate it but thinks the atomic proportion of one carbon compound is off by a few electrons." Hunter Man explained.

"Yeah! That's the mistake I was looking for! But I still don't know _which_ of the four or five compounds it is! If only we could consult a chemistry expert somewhere…"

"Maybe… Emperor S – sama could helps us on the matter? His Grace studied Chemistry, after all."

"Good idea. Emperor S – sama surely could point at us. It was pure luck that Sidier found my data and he knew about you two so that I could be resurrected. Really… Getting deleted because I misused one of my bombs… I acted just like a neophyte eager to taste fresh blood!" Death Shadow suggested as he stepped in and stopped to mutter in a slightly annoyed tone.

"We all make mistakes, Death! No being is perfect." Hunter Man shrugged and didn't seem to see the need for dramatics.

"I knew that. But still…"

"Guys… Don't argue, please. That's something of the past: it already happened and we should forget about it." Obihiro tried to settle it.

"Fine. Let us contact Emperor S – sama."

Obihiro pressed some commands and a window opened displaying a close up of Somari's face.

"Hiya. Obi – chan." She giggled.

Obihiro blushed while the other two didn't seem to get the point.

"Hunter – chan and Death – sama are there, too… You guys wanna talk with our hyperactive leader?" She giggled.

"Eh… Is he resting?" Obihiro politely asked.

"Yeah. I'm in charge. I'm gonna make the three of 'em wake up to the compass of my guitar. Tee, heh, heh. Anyway… What's up?" Somari giggled.

"Eh… Kagehi – sama… Could you please help us with a chemistry matter which is driving us nuts?" Obihiro asked.

"Yeah. I always got top scores at Chemistry! Show me the smuggled goods after you hand over the bribe. Tee, heh, heh." She improvised a joke and giggled.

"Ah… Yes, ma'am… Here it is." Obihiro muttered.

He displayed a chemical formula and structure and Somari looked at it for a little while with amusement: she then signaled one carbon-based compound and underlined it with a red line.

"The proportion is off. It shouldn't be 7 electrons: it should be 3 electrons: thus it'll keep on breaking 'cause too much electrons reduce the efficacy at distributing heat and vibrations." She explained.

"Oh…! So that's how it was…! Thank you very much, Empress Kagehi – sama. We apologized to have bothered your Grace over such a trivial and mundane matter…" Obihiro apologized.

"Obi – chan has been reading Shakespeare, it'd seem! Do you think you'd fit in Hamlet's role?" She teased.

"Eh… That's…" He trailed off.

"I somehow don't think so, Kagehi – sama." Hunter Man told her.

"Hunter – chan: that shotgun looks like it was stolen off a Germany manufacturer… You're a bit of a bad boy, aren't ya?" Somari teased him next.

"Ah… But… Eh… It was already equipped on me when I was programmed, Kagehi – sama…" He argued.

"I knew that… You guys don't have any sense of humor. Well… I guess it's to be expected of Death – sama but I thought cha had some humor up that shotgun, Hunter – chan." She giggled.

"I cannot seem to find any logic to this humor." Death drily muttered.

"Humor isn't supposed to be logical." Hunter Man told him.

"What point is there to producing something sans logic?" Death asked in a puzzled tone.

"Dunno. No – one can seem to find an answer to that." Hunter Man shrugged.

"Ah! Obi – chan… Being there the whole time is no good for ya! Try to get into a romance tale with a local girl… But firstly check how much stuff there's around, will ya? Tee, heh, heh." Somari kept on teasing him with the blink of an eye.

"P-please…" Obihiro was totally red by now.

"Tee, heh, heh. I like teasing elementary school students like ya: they're way more genuine and honest! Tee, heh, heh! Just listen to my _joy_ for a while." She grinned.

"Crap." Hunter Man muttered.

"Huh? What is the matter?" Death asked.

"Shut off your audio input system NOW if you don't want it to be overloaded for the next 90 minutes!" Hunter Man told him in a hushed and rushed tone.

Death seemed to blink under the helmet but he did so and Hunter Man also did the same: Obihiro discreetly put two earplugs on.

"Ahem, ahem… _Rollin' the stones was a crazy fireworks-maker-guy: Rokushakudama Nenji, sixth on the line~! So they called 'im Nenji VI like he was the _ou-sama_~! Tee, heh, heh! But he didn't know how to rule so he left it on hands of his evil half-brother Jinen IV while he lived a plebeian's life and worked with his pal Nenjiro~! Tee, heh, heh! He worked on some nice and eye-catching fireworks by using cheat codes ripped off Game FAQs 'cause he was lazy~! Tee, heh, heh! Jinen IV drank a glass of _vodka _in one gulp and then fell off the stairs to his gruesome end! So his lover who pulled the strings behind the scenes became Jasmine I 'cause she was the first to hold that title~! She reigned using the Elixir of Eternal Youth and had many pretenders: she turned them down with her make-up skills to look like a granny and reigned uncontested with a court of young boys to tease and form a chorus group to have fun for a while~!_" Somari began one of her crazy songs.

Obihiro closed his eyes and tried to block off the sound with his hands as well while both Hunter Man and Death stood there because they couldn't hear anything: Hunter Man signaled for Death to just wait.

"… _A~nd! She picked her favorite one and taught him to be a nice successor who would let his wife do everything while he was to be the guy to clean the house~! Tee, heh, heh! Such is this tale~!_" She finished with a loud ear-piercing sound.

"Phew. Over…" Obihiro muttered.

"… Somari – chan…! We were trying to rest and you just had to go and try to pierce our eardrums like that…?" Saruba annoyingly asked off-screen.

"Ah. But Obihiro looked ready for a shakedown, so…"

"Man. This is the last time I try to tackle both Acid Ace DS and Grave Joker DS three days in a row. I'm beaten." Solo yawned.

"Huh-uh… It was a nightmare fighting Phantom Black DS - sama… He was countering me the whole time!" Sidier yawned.

"Oh my! The Yawn Trio: I've just come up with a _cute_ nickname! Tee, heh, heh! I'm a genius when it comes to Chemistry: I figured out the error in their formula _one light-year_ faster than ya, Saruba!" Somari giggled.

"Huh? That carbon compound…? I could've spotted it at the first glance, too!" Saruba groaned.

"My. It'd seem Solo was too rough on ya!" Somari teased.

"Wait a min. That line is still open?" Saruba gasped.

"Yeah. Beg to me and I _may_ close it: Obihiro seems about to die from shame to his cute face! Tee, heh, heh! Somari giggled.

Hunter Man slapped his face in defeat while Death kept on looking like he didn't get the point of the whole deal.

"Death… Since you won't get the meaning of any of this… Just go and please work on the compound: we want to have it ready in schedule to sell it to the construction company." Hunter Man told him with a large sigh of obvious defeat.

"Fine…" Death shrugged.

He floated out of the room while Obihiro kept on looking red and utterly nervous.

"Shun – sama? Could you try excusing yourself?" Hunter Man suggested in a hushed voice.

"Y-yeah… Eh… I'll try to…" Obihiro slowly nodded.

"… Sidier –chan's mantle is so _sexy_! If you showed up in front of some girls, you'd get your own fan-girl club set up in less than 60 minutes!"

"T-that cannot be…" Sidier sounded dumbfounded.

"_Can_ be, cutie… Solo – chan's looks would also get 'im a nice club, too! But Saruba – chan looks so vulgar that only a short-sighted girl would take interest in ya!" Somari giggled.

"Fantastic, fantastic…" Solo drily and sarcastically replied.

"Man." Saruba grumbled.

"Eh… Excuse me, but… I need to continue my work… The deadline is very tight, so…" Obihiro called out.

"Tee, heh, heh. Yeah. I can see ya have had enough for one day. Go make candles." Somari giggled.

"C-candles…? Why should I…?" Obihiro asked.

"Jeez. It's an irony! Be on your way, Obi – chan, and tell me once you get yourself hooked up! Tee, heh, heh, heh!" She giggled.

The channel shut down and Obihiro let out a deep sigh as he leant backwards on the sofa.

"Man. I'm cursed. I just know it." He grumbled.

"Shun – sama… Curses are not scientifically proven…" Hunter Man seemed to find it exaggerated.

"It's an irony." Obihiro grumbled.

"Ah. I apologize, sir."

"Whatever… Let's get on the move: go start new simulations and I'll join Death in the workshop. A genius' life is always hard but at least I'm sheltered from any stupid media." Obihiro ordered.

"Roger."

Hunter Man headed out while Obihiro shut down the laptop.

"Well! Back to work."

_I'm a genius! Heh, heh, heh, heh! And no media will pester me!_

18:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Please! Quit it already, Somari – chan!"

"Nope! I won't let you guys come outta 'ere before I've had fun for a lil while! Tee, heh, heh."

"Man."

"We're cursed by the Demon Tribe's curse."

"My! Good poetry, Sidier!"

"It is not "poetry": I am cursing!"

"Funny how ya can switch between "boku" when you're with us, "ore" when you're in the temples, and "ware" when you want to sound noble and gentleman… Saruba sure messed with your personal pronouns, didn't the guy?"

"Yeah. And, as always, I'm the scapegoat."

"This is turning into a fool's ship, even."

The group of four were still discussing as Somari leant his right elbow on the right armrest and leaned her head rightwards: she looked highly amused at the ongoing discussion: both Solo and Saruba looked exasperated by now while Sidier was seemingly trying to hold himself back by putting a poker face.

"Ah, yeah! Don't forget that poker face when ya wanna go and play in Las Vegas! Tee, heh, heh." Somari teased.

"I have no need to go to Las Vegas, Empress Kagehi – sama!" Sidier protested.

"Oh? Who knows? Maybe the eternally flowing hatred and grudge of the Demon Tribe will chase you there?" Somari joked.

"Please…" Sidier looked elsewhere since he was starting to lose his patience on the matter.

"This is ridiculous, Somari – chan!" Saruba protested.

"Yeah. We're not behaving like high school students." Solo grumbled.

"Maybe it's because we never got to start it?" She teased next.

"That's a taboo." Both replied.

"Joking… I don't break taboos." She turned serious.

"Is this going to end someday?" Sidier asked.

"Yeah. It's gonna end once you sing "a – le – le" twenty-five times in a row for me. Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

The three of them fumed and turned around: they walked towards the door and Saruba pressed a red button near it: they buzzed and opened so they stepped through them before they closed again.

"Tee, heh, heh. The emergency manual opening… I'm sure they'll go camping for some days! Well… I'll be ready to treat 'em to some of my great songs, anyway. This _is_ life! Tee, heh, heh!" Somari giggled and looked at the purple skies with a large grin on her face.

"… Yeah. I can't stand another minute. I'm off to the Death Temple: that's where I find myself most comfortable." Saruba was telling the other two men.

"Sidier and I will be going to the Fortress Temple: we need to cool off and get our skills back up: they're somewhat rusty." Solo told him.

"If Yamikawa – sama allows me to…" Sidier bowed.

"But of course. Do what you want, Sidier. Let's go make what makes us be content with our lives." Saruba smiled at him.

"I'll take good care of our pupil, Saruba." Solo announced as he patted Sidier's back.

"Solo… Not so strong…" Sidier grumbled.

"Sorry, _aibou_. I sometimes forget that you're not fond of being patted so strongly." Solo grinned at him.

"Good luck, guys." Saruba encouraged.

18:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew. It'd seem my hard work paid off! They're acting like they always were and don't suspect a single thing: they obviously are being honest with each other. Those songs Kagehi comes up with would do good selling as 'non-lethal' weapons! Hah. That's black humor, I guess! _Aibou_ used to have some of it."

Tabuu was standing inside of the Great Tower's topmost room and monitoring the screens: one of them beeped.

"Incoming transmission… The "Dimensional Area Laboratory"…? They must've picked my frequency… I thought Hikari and Rock Man had told them about me…" Tabuu frowned.

He patched it and Trill appeared onscreen with a broad grin.

"Trill did it! Trill contact Eye – sama!" Trill giggled.

"Sorry. My name is Tabuu. T – A – B – U – U… Gotcha?" He corrected him with a calm tone.

"Trill found something interesting!" Trill let out.

"Oh? And you wanna show me?" Tabuu sounded amused.

Trill suddenly brought up an African-like mask and loomed forward so that it filled the whole screen: it looked rather scary at close-quarters distance and Tabuu floated back a bit.

"Tee, heh, heh! Saito didn't have fear but Tabuu – sama does! Tabuu – sama mustn't have a Goddess of Courage smilin' on 'im!" Trill giggled and sounded proud of his own joke.

"… "Synchronizer"… I mean… Trill. You're right. I guess I'm lacking "courage" from time to time." Tabuu played along with a sigh of defeat.

"Trill spoke with Netto and Saito: they told Trill Tabuu – sama ended a war as well! So Trill and Tabuu – sama have somethin' in common!" Trill brought up.

"Oh. True, true…" Tabuu admitted.

"Tee, heh, heh. Boo~!"

Trill put on a "ghost" cloak next and extended his arms forward: a sweat drop showed up on the right side of Tabuu's head and he looked slightly nervous.

"Trill! Please! Don't play with the transmission system: it's a delicate machine!" Iris scolded by lifting him from behind.

"Trill is sorry, neechan! But Trill is trying to be friends with Tabuu – sama, so Trill thought it was fair!" Trill apologized.

"Huh… Guess so… Eh… I apologize for his pranks." Iris apologized.

"Don't mind it, _Miss_ Iris. It's good to speak with someone who still holds such innocence. It's hard to find such a person nowadays." Tabuu shrugged and sounded in a good mood.

"Ah… Thank you very much. Trill. Let's go. We've got work to do by helping set up new circuitry for a city being rebuilt." Iris told him with a smile.

"Be careful of the ghost ship's Ghost Capt'n, Tabuu – sama! _Bye – bye_! Tee, heh, heh!" Trill giggled.

The transmission disconnected and Tabuu let out a sigh of relief as he floated back into the middle of the platform.

"Fine, fine… I'll try to watch out for that Ghost Capt'n, Trill. Let's get ready for our Science Labs speech in a lil while. Heh, heh. The so-called "pirate dialect" is getting stuck into me, it'd seem! There's a proverb for this, isn't there? Eh… 'All's well if it ends well'… Guess it works here." He muttered with a hint of amusement.

He typed into some of the screens and brought up a 3D map of sorts depicting Mars.

"I should really explore Mars: maybe I'll find one of H. G. Wells' Martians and I'll tell 'em they're fired. I'm cooler than they and so is Death Shadow, anyway. Too bad, buddies. You're not cool enough anymore. Go show up in some B-Grade sci-fi movie. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh heh!"


	33. Chapter 32: Everything begins

**Chapter 32: Everything begins**

20:03 PM (Japan Time), Friday February the 24th…

"… Incoming transmission from Beyondard's Great Tower… It must be Tabuu, Hikari – hakase."

"Patch it through, Meijin."

"Roger."

"Good evening."

A close-up of Tabuu's face appeared on the Science Labs' briefing room's LCD screen.

"Good news: the recalibration was a success. There's nothing to fear for the time being. Worst-case scenario calculates that it wouldn't last longer than the first 24 hours, but I'm sure it ain't the case. However… As I said, it's not 100% perfect: there's a 5% error margin which can translate in the possibility of my little work coming undone." He reported.

"Hah! No competency can get a 100% perfect plan: only I could!" Tesla suddenly boasted.

"Tesla. Let the guy finish. He's ended up a war, so we're grateful to him, in case ya didn't know." Airstar dully told her.

"Hmpf!" She played the offended.

"Maybe you need to go heat up at Los Angeles?" Tabuu suggested.

"Los Angeles…? Well… They say it's fashionable, so…" Tesla muttered while looking interested.

"Useless, useless…" He grimly muttered.

"So? What are you gonna do, Tabuu? Didn't you say that you had a side-quest to take care of?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. But that can't take longer than two or three weeks. I'll leave my agents in place to watch out but nothing big should happen in such a short space of time." Tabuu confirmed.

"I don't really get it, but… I guess we're supposed to be happy with the outcome." Rokushakudama muttered while frowning.

"That's why thinking is bad for that head of yours, Nenji!" Napalm Man amusedly told him.

"Wha~t?" He growled.

"Hah, hah, hah!" He laughed.

"Not fair, Nenjiro!" Rokushakudama protested.

"MY NAME AIN'T NENJIRO~!" Napalm Man snapped back.

"Crap."

"Maybe you need an orange string of fate to tie you two together and have you two dancing to Raoul Ou – sama's tune?" Tabuu joked.

"No way!"

"Yeah! Shake this guy up and down! Hah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man seemed to agree with the idea.

Rokushakudama leant his head on the desk from the defeat while Napalm Man kept on laughing.

"Shah, shah, shah! One question… Are ya ugly?" Needle Man asked him.

"Needle Man! That's not something to ask." Yuriko scolded.

"Well… _Aibou_ used to say I was dull and unimposing, so… I'm not sure if that means "ugly", too…" Tabuu trailed off.

"Maybe a lesser _Oni_ hit you with the butcher's knife." Shadow Man came up with a joke.

"Very funny, really." Miyabi drily told him.

"Who knows?" Tabuu humorously shrugged.

"Miyabi does: he hides a _kunai_ up his right sleeve which the guy saves up to deal with _Naraku_ envoys to collect mournful souls." Shadow Man kept on sounding amused.

"Not again with the _Naraku_… What, you've been reading the _Spider's Thread_?" Miyabi growled.

"It had an interesting morality to it." Shadow Man chuckled.

"So… The Great Tower will remain there, in Beyondard?" Dr. Regal calmly asked.

"Correct. It's my HQ: I didn't just build it up for the sake of staging a show, I'll let you know."

"That "Dimensional Element" was interesting to analyze." Laser Man calmly commented.

"I hope it was useful. And beware of your own hyper matter core: a proton torpedo might blow it up." Tabuu joked.

"… Amusing." Laser Man drily replied.

"Funny." Dr. Regal also drily replied.

"Heh, heh, heh. _Aibou_ taught me to joke with similar topics: they say it's popular." Tabuu chuckled.

"So it'd seem." Laika dully told him.

"I don't grasp the point." Search Man told him.

"Obviously: it's located three words to the right!" Tabuu joked.

"Ah. Very original."

"This one thinks he's funny." Knight Man muttered.

"By the way… A bird told me that royalty and army make up an interesting pairing." Tabuu let out.

"Oh? Maybe it's a prophecy?" Pride looked interested.

Laika blushed and looked at the ground while Tabuu chuckled and Pride giggled: the two Navis didn't seem to find the point to it.

"Oh! Another little thing: the panda will have eaten a lot of bamboo shoots by the time spring comes." Tabuu told Jasmine.

"Don't be silly! Bamboo shoots only grow in spring!" Jasmine annoyingly replied.

"Yeah! You're mixing up the seasons!" Meddy told him.

"Heh! This guy won't come out of fear that I'll beat him to a pulp with my tomahawk! Ta –dan!" Dingo grinned and took it out.

"Damn. You stole it from Maha's safe!" Tomahawk Man growled.

Everyone rolled their eyes and sighed in defeat except for Dr. Regal and Laser Man.

"And that tomahawk can cut through steel, neophyte?" Tabuu teased with some humor.

"I dunno what "neo-something" means but it can cut through that stupid _Star Wars_ rip-off armor!" Dingo boasted.

"It'll cut your stupidity to pieces." Tomahawk Man drily told him.

Dingo looked dumbfounded while Jasmine and Meddy giggled at it.

"Ah. But the bird flies around a certain two persons' heads…" Meiru made a sinister smile.

"Yeah… So they'd be better off not trying to laugh at us." Roll made a sinister grin, too.

"Jeez." Netto rolled his eyes.

"Crap." Saito muttered.

Enzan and Blues merely looked elsewhere.

"Eh… Is the humor show over?" Enzan asked.

"We're starting to be fed up with it." Blues grumbled.

"The humor show is over but Raoul Ou – sama must be about to begin his new show. I sponsored it this time around and he's eager." Tabuu amusedly replied.

"Problems…" Meijin muttered.

"What problems?" Yuuichirou asked.

Tabuu's image was replaced by a live feed of Raoul posing for the camera: some DJ music began to ring in the background.

"_Oh yeah_! _Little brother_! Pick your disguise and let's go _rumble_ all evening long! _Take-off_! _Oh yeah_! Blow 'em all and sweep the ground with those clever wannabes on it! We're gonna kick 'em out the Wiseman's Hall and we'll bring forth a revolution!" Raoul exclaimed.

Everyone looked on with baffled faces.

"_Oh yeah_! What public! Good! Have a close look at how a pro does this: it's a unique chance in life! _Go_! _Masked Thunder_!" Raoul exclaimed as he held his gray Link PET out.

Thunder Man's disguised hologram came out and he hung his arms down while looking at the ground: he had a defeated look to him.

"Volt those guys up! No – one stops 'till their legs collapse! This ain't any newbie stage: it's a pro stage! Only the best can be allowed to share stage with Raoul Ou – sama! Hah! Vermin… Let's call the bug exterminators and get rid of 'em!" Raoul continued.

"… Oi. Raoul. Listen to me, will ya? The latest fashion is hitting one's head with a hammer." Thunder Man told him.

"_Oh yeah_! Let's go for the fashion! Invent the Hammer Man next, you clever guys! _Go_! _Hammer_!" Raoul exclaimed as he held one with his left hand.

He hit his skull from behind and collapsed into the ground: Thunder Man let out a deep sigh.

"There. Finally… Let's hope this straightens him out." He muttered.

"Ouch… What the hell happened?" Raoul groaned.

"Dunno." Thunder Man shrugged.

"… Ouch… Ow… Hurts, hurts… Huh? Why the heck am I wearing this outfit? There's no undercover mission underway!" He gasped.

"Phew. It worked…" Thunder Man muttered.

"Huh? What's this camera doing here…? Let's switch it off… There's job to be done! I can't believe I was fooling around with this." Raoul muttered aloud.

The live feed switched off and everyone sighed in relief.

"Well?" Tabuu teased.

No – one replied and looked like they wanted him to disappear there and now.

"Guess you didn't like it… Well then… See you around and be careful of Hammer Man. Heh, heh, heh!" Tabuu chuckled.

The screen switched off and everyone stood up while looking like they were impatient to leave the place.

"Good evening." They all announced.

They began to walk out and talk amongst them.

"Really… Thunder Man was right: Raoul – san needed someone to hit him on the head to straighten him out!" Saito muttered.

"Yeah. It'd seem he'd gotten obsessed with it." Netto rolled his eyes.

"… Netto – kun. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Saito asked in a hushed tone.

"Well… How about we go to Max's place? And we can call Enzan and Blues during the afternoon: we didn't get to meet during the week 'cause I got busy with the homework. Let's go home and sleep: I'm totally beaten and I need some rest." Netto suggested while repressing a yawn which threatened to come out.

"You little sleepyhead otouto…" Saito teased with a smile.

"Heh. Wait until you find yourself comfortable there and you'll want to sleep a lot, too, Saito – niisan." Netto grinned at him.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

09:19 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 25th…

"… DAMN! I WANNA DO CROSS FUSION!"

"Dekao!"

"Yikes!"

Maha ran into the storeroom where Dekao had been yelling and pulled his ears.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You startle all of us!" Maha grumbled.

"But, Master…! I wanna do it! I must protect _MY_ Meiru – chan!" Dekao pleaded.

"Huff! If you keep on rambling about that, you'll never be a true cook, Dekao! And Miss Sakurai doesn't belong to you: the miss can choose who she prefers! Now get to work! You don't need "Cross Fusion": you'd be beaten in one hit!" Maha growled.

Dekao sighed and dragged his feet into the kitchen: he began setting everything up while Wily looked on from his usual table and chuckled.

"Ah… This youth… They should be taught what "obsession" means and how to keep it at bay…" He chuckled.

"Yeah. We're not the only ones getting fed up." Hinoken looked annoyed.

"His Navi is such a show-off, really…" Fire Man muttered.

"Whatever! We save up job!" Madoi shrugged.

"Tee, heh, heh! He should be named Gorilla Man!" Colored Man teased.

"_Gorilla Man_! _King Kong's revenge_: that'd be _cool_!" Count Elec laughed.

"Really…" Elec Man rolled his eyes.

"What a ship of fools…" Magic Man grimly muttered.

The other four sighed in defeat while Wily chuckled and Dekao kept on growling.

09:28 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Tee, heh, heh, heh! So! Enzan is that mean of a person, eh, Meiru – chan? Thanks for the tip-off!"

"Don't mind it, Yaito – chan. We girls always make sure to stand our ground."

"Huh… It'd seem this will become a problem."

"Don't be so defeatist, Glyde!"

Meiru had told Yaito something over the PET: she looked amused and Meiru had a broad grin on her face: Glyde looked nervous while Roll looked up to something.

"What are we gonna do with that leech, anyway?" Yaito asked.

"Don't worry: I've heard that someone from B Class was hooked up by that leech so we have nothing to worry about." Meiru replied with a broad grin.

"Enzan! You're so determined to boycott me that you went and picked someone else! Tee, heh, heh! Whatever! Gabcom will eventually surpass IPC! Tee, heh, heh!" Yaito giggled.

"Yaito – sama…!" Glyde sighed in defeat.

"Saito – kun… You'll have to accept me one day!" Roll made a sinister smile.

"Netto… I always have a secret weapon up my sleeves!" Meiru muttered with a hint of amusement.

"No good…! This looks like a war declaration…" Glyde gasped and looked horrified.

"Don't be so dramatic: we're just making our position clear! Tee, heh, heh, heh! Saito – kun! I'll soon have set up our pink string of fate which will link us together!" Roll giggled and kept on looking up to something.

"The Girl Duo attacks!" Both Meiru and Yaito announced.

10:20 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Tee, heh, heh. How does it feel to have this tool up your insides, servant? Pay close attention to the sounds of those being punished with the highest degree punishment…"

Eva was sitting in a black leather armchair inside of her and Max's house basement: she'd opened the cloak to reveal her black gear and Max was sitting on her lap while being blindfolded, gagged and immobilized: Eva's strap-on was deep inside of him and she was toying with all the clothes pegs attached to his body with her left hand as she used the right one to tug a chain attached to his neck's metal ring.

"Tee, heh, heh."

Max's cock base had been tied with ropes to keep it hard and he was plugged: four small capsule-shaped vibrators were attached at different spots of his cock and balls while another two were placed slightly above each of the nipples' clothes pegs: the controls were strapped into his hips.

"Heh… Struggle."

The six of them were working so Max was arching his body forward and back.

"And over there…"

Eva looked past at him at the metallic triangular horse: Netto and Saito were strapped to it and sharing a deep kiss while being immobilized and blindfolded: they also had several vibrators on them.

"Tee, heh, heh. It's good to find men who get addicted to the thrill which comes with this and wish to be punished for their filthy deeds across History…" She announced for the camera.

Both of them kept on kissing and gasping for air while uttering moans due to the vibrations which made their bodies rock forth and back while tugging along the chain: Eva then had Max detach from her lap and dragged him along on his knees until he was next to the triangular horse: she removed his gag and had him lick the twins' cocks.

"Heh!"

She tied them together by the base to aim for each other's mouth.

"Tee, heh, heh. Let's increase the level." She muttered.

She took out the anal beads strings and began to slowly insert them into their insides while placing the end ring in each cock: Saito got the end ring of Netto's beads and vice versa: both began to shake more and they were slowly sucking the beads in and tensing the ends.

"Tee, heh, heh. This must be the most agonizing part of all 'em, I'd rather say! Here: have a taste of them as well." She giggled.

She placed them on Max's insides as well before he forced him to stand up and pumped inside of him with her strap-on again.

"It must be painful! But that's to be expected: I don't hold back. I'm a pro and this is the proof!" She exclaimed.

She then picked a nearby candle and let some wax fall in Max's nipples as well as staining his cock and balls: he kept on arching his body and his cock was bulging with violence by now.

"Heh. All of you took all of the beads inside… Well then. This one goes first since it behaved better." Eva sounded amused.

She pulled all of Max's beads out at a mad speed and then unplugged his cock: he let out five or six vigorous spurts which stained his face, hair and upper body before he hung his head down and seemingly lost consciousness: she turned the vibrators off and then left him on the ground as she looked at the twins: they'd almost pulled each other's beads out and sounded like they were out of breath.

"Let's wrap this show up." She grinned.

She finished pulling their beads out and unplugged them: they cried as they released and filed each other's mouth their liquid: they remained conscious and shared a new kiss while mixing in and connecting their tongues with the white string: they then seemingly lost consciousness as well.

"That's all for today, my followers! Tune in for more tomorrow: I know you never get bored of Eva – sama's teachings! Tee, heh, heh!" Eva looked at the camera and grinned.

She took out a remote from the cloak's right pocket and switched the camera off.

"Well! Let's free these and let them nap for a while." She shrugged and looked amused.

"… Ah… It feels so good… Tooru – kun…"

"Shuuichi – kun… Do you like this?"

"Yeah… I like it, Tooru – kun!"

"I'm glad of it, Shuuichi – kun…!"

Hikawa and Eboshi were making out in Eboshi's bedroom: Hikawa was sitting on the bed and Eboshi was riding along his cock while looking ecstatic: Hikawa was rubbing Eboshi's nipples and Eboshi was rubbing his cock with his own right hand: both looked like they were totally enjoying the experience which they were in the midst of.

"Good idea… Sending Ice Man… to play with Aqua Man and Bubble Man for a while… This'll help us keep this secret… Tooru – kun…" Eboshi moaned.

"T-thanks, Shuuichi – kun…! Ah…! I love feeling you so close by and your heat…!"

"Yeah…! Tooru – kun is my most important person to me…! We're making love to each other, isn't that right?"

"We are, Shuuichi – kun…! We _love_ each other!"

"Thanks… Ah…! I'm going off…!"

He released and his insides gripped Hikawa's cock: the other boy released as well and sounded like he'd shaken a lot of stress off him: they both panted and Ebosi detached only to turn around and let Hikawa's cock go inside of him again.

"Heh, heh!"

He inclined Hikawa's body backwards to be face-up on the bed and had a deep passionate kiss with him: Hikawa responded to it by closing his arms around Eboshi's middle body: they soon separated and eyed the white string linking them together.

"Wow… The _white string of fate_… Heh, heh, heh…" Eboshi muttered with a little chuckle.

"Yeah… It's here, connecting us…"

Eboshi began to move along Hikawa's length and rubbed his cock against Hikawa's stomach area as he moved his fingers to toy with his nipples: Hikawa moaned and looked like he was getting excited again.

"Heh, heh. Tooru – kun's nipples are very sensible because of that stuff you did to them… You get horny so quickly and start moaning in a tune which hypnotizes me…"

"T-thanks for the compliments, Shuuichi – kun…!" Hikawa moaned.

"I'm coming!"

He released and stained Hikawa's upper body and face as he triggered Hikawa's own release: they both panted and Eboshi quickly assumed the "six-nine" position: both began to suck and lick their cocks while using their fingers to tease the balls: they kept at it for a little while until they both released.

"Let's finish this, Tooru – kun…"

"Yeah… Let's end it, Shuuichi – kun… I feel refreshed enough. Heh, heh, heh… Here I come! Get ready!"

They hugged each other (Eboshi was a little shorter in height and his head reached more or less until Hikawa's chin) and began to rub their cocks together while kissing: they both released and cleansed their faces and upper torsos before going for another kiss: Hikawa rolled over and looked totally taken in: they separated and panted while looking at their _white string of fate_.

"Tooru – kun… We'll always be in love, right?"

"Shuuichi – kun… I promise. I'll help you."

"Thank you, Tooru – kun… You're my best friend. Let's work hard to keep it like this." Eboshi smiled at him.

"Let's nap for a little bit… And then we'll part. Come tomorrow for more stuff." Hikawa suggested: he sounded sleepy.

"Heh, heh!" Eboshi chuckled.

Hikawa covered them with their blankets and they began to rest.

"… Yo! Sleepyheads. Wake up. It's over."

"Ah… It felt refreshing!"

"Yeah. Now I feel ready to spend some time solving my homework."

"Uh… It'd seem my records are lifting up again."

The three boys woke up inside of the basement: they had the basic S&M gear on but the other stuff had been removed: they still had the marks on their bodies, though, and their insides hadn't totally closed yet: they stood up from their position of sitting in the ground and stretched while Eva looked on: she'd closed her cloak and hid her gear.

"I'm surprised you find this refreshing… I was sure you'd keep on disliking me for that earlier game." Eva commented.

"Well… I didn't have the intention of involving otouto into this: I thought this was something only I would like." Saito scratched the back of his head and looked somewhat unsure.

"Don't worry about that, Saito – niisan! I like sharing thrilling experiences with you: and I think of this as pain training. I know that Papa said that it's not shameful at all to cry out in pain, but… Since I have this chance to train, I wanted to make wise use of it." Netto grinned.

"That's a curious philosophy, I'd say. Heh, ehh, heh." Max lifted his eyebrows and looked amused at that.

"Anyways… Let's go upstairs and get dressed before heading back home: I know it's not even 11:00 AM yet but we want to be punctual." Saito shrugged.

"Yeah. We'll be here again tomorrow." Netto added.

"I'll dress up, too." Max shrugged.

"Good. I'll be storing the stuff." Eva shrugged as well.

The three boys headed upstairs through the stone ramp and entered the main room: they then stepped into the storeroom and picked each other's suitcase to get dressed with their clothes.

"Why did you decide to pick black, anyway, Max?" Netto asked him while he adjusted his bandana.

"Well… I thought it was an ironic color: it swallows up "light" and warms you up while it conceals anything." Max admitted as he put the coat on.

"Yeah. Nothing has been proven to be able to escape a black hole and even _Star Wars_ ships try to stay as far away from them as possible: their massive gravity thugs could tear a ship apart even while travelling across Hyperspace…" Saito brought up.

"Speaking of Hyperspace… Boss told us he can travel through it, too. This helps him save travel time." Max recalled.

"Oh… So that's how he knows that he'll be back in two to three weeks from now… Practical!" Netto grinned.

Saito picked a black belt and adjusted it around his jeans' waist before covering it with his shirt and vest: he then straightened some of the folds.

"Really… Wearing clothes is a revolution! And I look catchy like that, I'd daresay." He muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Roll – chan must be about to jump into you, I'd say." Max teased.

"Uh… Yeah… I guess the "Devil Chip" didn't really condition Eva's personality… I'm sure she had a hidden side to her personality which came from looking up the wrong references." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's the reason, too. Tee, heh, heh." Eva suddenly popped her head into the room.

"Then we'd be better off trying to keep that side of hers under control before we get a _third_ sadist Roll." Netto grimly muttered.

"Yeah. And we should keep tabs on Meiru – chan, too. Her mother should try speaking with her or Mama should." Saito muttered.

"What a mess!" Max sighed.

"… Well… Now we get two or three weeks sans any supervision: I think we should think of something to do except for this routine: it'll eventually get dull."

"Hmmm… True, true… Maybe we could go have some adventure."

"…"Beyondard", you mean?"

"Yeah. And we could be back by the weekend. Tee, heh, heh."

"Sure. Why not?"

Max and Eva were talking about what to do a while later: Eva had put on her normal clothes and taken out the helmet as well while sitting on her favorite armchair.

"It's decided, then. And we could always camp out at the Great Tower's topmost room: there's gotta be a wonderful view from up there! I'm starting to look forward to it." Eva grinned.

"We'd have to properly gear up a bit and try to keep a normal girl's attitude just in case: we don't want to ear anyone's grudges. We should be glad Netto – kun and Saito decided that we're "allies" after all." Max told her.

"Sure. I don't mind taking a little break. Tee, heh, heh." Eva kept on looking amused.

"O. K. It's settled, then." Max shrugged.

"Yeah. It's settled. And now bring me a Bloody Mary."

"You're a minor, Eva – chan. You can't drink a Bloody Mary." Max drily replied.

"Come on! It's a joke!" She laughed.

"Man. This doesn't fare well." Max muttered.

He rolled his eyes under the sunglasses while Eva kept on laughing.

"… Good. I'll mail a password to Max and Eva in case they want to drop by but, otherwise, I'll keep the Great Tower locked up until the return of my little trip."

Tabuu was standing inside of the Great Tower's topmost room and typing into several of the screens.

"So… This artifact I'm supposed to look turns out to be an lost planetary probe commanded by my Masters which made landfall on a remote extra solar planet 35 light years from Earth. But I should be able to get there in less than a week's time using my "Fossa Ambience" abilities to open up a Hyperspace tunnel… Luckily, since the probe went missing just two days ago, its core should still be functioning and I should be able to track its signature without too much trouble." Tabuu muttered aloud as he read a display.

He brought up a zoomed 3D image of a planet larger than Earth and almost all filled with barren plains, mountains ranges and a deep valley filled with vegetation.

"That valley… I find it curious that just that spot which barely makes up 8% of the planet's surface has greenery on it… Could this be the remains of a terra forming project went haywire? This mission suddenly looks way more interesting that it initially was… Who knows? Maybe something lurks in that deep forest…" He sounded intrigued.

He let the 3D image rotate around the room as if imitating its usual axis and orbit movements while Tabuu slowly tracked it up.

"It's decided. I will stay outside of the planet and use the "Eye" to scout given that it's a hologram, after all. Whatever is there can't attack it…

He brought up new imagery.

"But the last report issued by the probe hinted at its own malfunction because it didn't brake well enough and its communications system with the orbiting probe was broken… Whatever… Let's have some fun and thrill 'long the way! Heh, heh, heh! I'll set off tomorrow morning after finishing wrapping things up. Heh, heh, heh… I'm a clever guy or so _Aibou_ used to tell me… Enjoy the end of this episode, folks!" He chuckled.

"… So. Forte. What is our purpose on life going to be from now on? Have you thought about it?"

"Yeah. More or less…"

Forte and Freeze Man were talking while standing in the balcony of the Kyutenpa Laboratory.

"We'll keep like we were: we'll round up menaces to the integrity of our allies and try to cooperate with the Net Police as much as possible. Incidents involving criminals can still happen: Twilight left the seeds dispersed around there to grow before he "escaped": they can show up anytime and they could be potentially dangerous. We've already seen the extreme ones right until yesterday." Forte elaborated.

"Ah. True. I wouldn't want Twilight to get away with it on the end. It's like he set a "curse" on all of us… And we must try to fight that curse back with all we have." Freeze Man agreed on it.

"That's my point. Remember: people like Nemenaya Mies or Atamane Tomoko aren't unique out there: there could be thousands like them ready to jump into stage and try to bring upon chaos to our lives. That's the worst thing which could happen so we've gotta avoid it from happening." Forte justified.

"I wouldn't want the Medusa's Hall Incident and the Sapphire Kingdom Incident to repeat again or what happened with the "Organization": we'll most likely act paranoid at any slight hint but it might end up being the only way to prematurely detect them and try to quarantine them before it can spread into something chaotic or deadly."

"Well. In short: our point in life will be protecting "stability": total "peace" doesn't exist but we must seek to keep things balanced and under control… We can't let "Chaos" destroy us." Forte summarized.

"I approve. Count me your companion, Forte." Freeze Man smiled.

"Thank you, Freeze Man." Forte smiled back.

"… Oh! Enzan – kun. Welcome."

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Hikari – hakase."

Enzan showed up on the Hikari house threshold: both Haruka and Yuuichirou opened the door.

"The boys are upstairs. They're waiting for you, Enzan – kun." Yuuichirou announced.

"Would you like to have a slice of my cake, though?" Haruka invited.

"Ah… Thank you very much." Enzan politely replied.

Haruka cut a slice off a chocolate cake and served it on a dish: Enzan sat on a chair and picked a fork.

"_Itadakimasu_." He announced.

He had a bite of it and looked surprised at its good flavor: he quickly ate the rest of it and looked delighted.

"It was delicious, ma'am." He admitted.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh! There's no resisting my home-made chocolate cake!" Haruka giggled.

"So true…" Yuuichirou smiled.

"Well then… If you will excuse me, I'll be upstairs." Enzan politely announced.

"Enjoy~!" Haruka invited.

"You're always welcome, Enzan – kun." Yuuichirou smiled at him as he sat on the sofa to read the newspapers.

"Thank you very much."

"Oi! Enzan! Come up: we're itchin' for a Net Battle!" Netto called out.

"Netto – kun! Be a bit more patient!" Saito complained.

Enzan grinned and climbed upstairs to enter the room: Netto grinned while Saito looked somewhat annoyed with his impatience: Enzan closed the door.

"Sorry. Your mother treated me to some cake: it was delicious." Enzan apologized.

"I'm sure you must've felt something similar, Saito." Blues teased with a broad smile.

"Yeah. It's the first time I've had it and I think it's gotta be one of the sweetest things ever made!" Saito looked animated.

"Heh, heh! No – one can resist Mama's home-made recipes! I'm glad Papa dropped by, though. They already finished repairing the "Dimensional Generator". Meijin – san went to see Makoto – san at Densan University and came back with a lot of pre-made salads: it'd seem he's gotten into a salad regime even though he's a thin person!" Netto explained with obvious amusement.

"Laika also seems to be too much into this new "salad trend" and he admitted that his uncle, Commissioner Malenkov, already insisted that he drops it. Detective Misaki tried to hook Superintendent Manabe into it but Commissioner Kifune is rather skeptical about these "trends": he claims it was vegetables like 5 years ago." Enzan grinned.

"While you two solve this "trend" stuff, I'll go chase my own "trend" with _Buruusu_." Saito grinned.

"Yeah. Let's bring out the dictionary and come up with a new definition for "trend"!" Blues sounded amused.

Saito dematerialized and returned inside of the Link PET: Netto picked it and plugged it into the PC to then switch off screen and speakers: he and Enzan began to undress and stopped once they were on their boxers.

"Heh!"

Netto walked over to Enzan and slowly pulled them down to reveal Enzan's slightly aroused cock.

"Heh, heh! I must be doing some cool job with my body 'cause you get aroused just by seeing me, Enzan!" Netto teased.

"Guess so… I should try working out IPC's emergency fire stairs to keep on shape, I guess." Enzan sighed and shrugged.

"Heh, heh! Get my stuff outta the way, too." Netto grinned.

"Yeah. I'll have a sneak peek." Enzan looked animated by now.

He lowered Netto's boxers and suddenly frowned: he then looked closer and spotted some marks left on the base and around the balls.

"Oh. I'd forgotten… You still do that hobby with those two. For a moment I thought you'd gotten harmed there." He smiled.

"Hobby… Guess you could name it like that, yeah. But let's quit the preludes and get to the business. I still find it amusing that you actually took out Shining Man when he was your tag partner in the N1 Grand Prix along with Whale Man and Break Man… You really were mean back then, Enzan!" Netto told him with a grin.

"Please… The old man's stupid lessons were all I knew." Enzan sighed and looked elsewhere.

"Sorry. Let's shatter the ice with a Zeus Hammer, then." Netto switched topics.

"That ain't a bad metaphor, really." Enzan smiled.

"And let's fry Beef Commander _a la BBQ_." Netto improvised.

"He'll have Higure – san be soaked in oil before that and then try to declare his "love" for your teacher." Enzan came up with another joke.

"You know… If Toni Soler, _Polònia_'s show director, ever runs out of jokes, we could email ours: they'd be a triumph!"

"That'd be lovely to see. But let's get down to the stuff: I've felt a lot of tension which I need shaking off. Maybe I'll need Maha's exercises, too, even." Enzan stretched.

Both climbed into the bed with Enzan being above Netto and he covered them with the blankets before starting to make out.

"… Ah… _Buruusu_… I missed this feeling."

"Heh, heh. You'll be getting used to it soon enough."

Saito was being lifted up and then lowered along Blues' cock length: Blues was holding him by the armpits and setting a pace while Saito rubbed his own cock and nipples: he used his hips to propel his legs and looked ecstatic.

"I'm sure this must be better than your hobbies." Blues teased.

"Yeah… Those are just to handle pain… I just want to be strong: I won't let some guys force info out of me by beating me or let a bully believe he can threaten me." Saito admitted.

"No bullies are going to bother you as I am around, Saito. I promise you. Deal?" Blues promised.

"Oh… _Buruusu_… I'll always help you, too. You're my _lover_, after all… Please thrust more into me…!" Saito moaned.

"Sure. Get ready: I'm going to lift you by the sides now." Blues whispered into his right ear as he carefully licked the outer rim.

"T-tickles… It tickles…!" Saito giggled.

Blues lowered his hands across the sides of Saito's body and then began to increase his pace while Saito looked like he could go off at any moment given his closed eyes and clenched teeth: Blues began sucking and licking the skin around his neck next: Saito suddenly cried and released thus setting Blues off as well.

"Ah… Ah… Ah…! I feel a lot of stress… going off… And all of the anxiety fading away too…" Saito muttered while he sounded in ecstasy.

"Heh, heh, heh. My "therapy" is proving useful! Test me out, Saito: I want to feel you inside of me." Blues chuckled.

Blues assumed a face-up position and Saito detached to then open up Blues' insides with his coated fingers and stuff his equally coated cock into him: he started moving while Blues smiled.

"… Ah… Enzan… You love being fast-paced, don't you?"

"Yeah. I do."

Netto was laying face-down on the bed while using his knees so as not to be glued to the sheets: Enzan was thrusting into his insides as he toyed with his cock and nipples at the same time: he had a large grin on his face while Netto looked ecstatic.

"Ne – chan wants more of my stuff." He joked.

"Don't copy Tabuu's "Sai – chan"… They sound so girlish! Aren't we _men_ to begin with?" Netto grumbled.

"If we use common sense, we're still _boys_." Enzan corrected.

"Guess so…" Netto chuckled.

"I'll go faster and you'll soon be begging at me."

"Sure… Vice President – sama." Netto joked.

"You wanna settle the score, eh? Gotcha." He sounded up to something this time around.

He gripped one of the still slightly irritated spots on Netto's balls and he didn't utter a sound but his cock got harder: Enzan then began to play with the head and Netto didn't even seem to notice it: Enzan increased his pace as well as he rubbed the brunette boy's cock at a quick rate.

"Enzan. Get ready to feel tightened up over there." Netto warned.

He released and didn't make any sounds as his muscles tightened around Enzan's slightly shorter cock and had him release: Enzan panted and closed his arms around Netto's waist as he collapsed on the bed.

"Wow. That's some self-control: you didn't utter a single sound." Enzan whispered.

"Heh, heh, heh! Two sessions and I've already improved this much… I'll clearly be like a guy in the movies soon enough!" Netto replied.

Enzan grinned and hugged him before rolling over to switch positions.

"… Ah… It felt good… The six-nine is fun!"

"Yeah. It sure is, Saito."

Blues and Saito had just seemingly playing the six-nine and had both of their faces and mouths stained with the white liquid: Saito then positioned himself and hugged Blues as he began a passionate kiss with him: Blues teased him by stuffing his fingers into his insides: they soon stopped and looked at the white string linking them together.

"The _white string of fate_… Sounds kind of ironic, even!" Blues muttered with a grin.

"Who knows?" Saito teased.

"You do, Saito. And I'm sure you'll tell me once you've had another round of checking me out." Blues teased next.

"Guess so…" Saito shrugged.

He lowered himself a bit and stuffed his cock into Blues' insides while he also teased his balls with slight rubbing from his fingers: he slowly pulled the foreskin back and massaged the head: Blues seemed to be getting turned on by Saito's play.

"_Buruusu_ is somewhat sensible, too. Let's check it out! Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Saito muttered with a giggle.

He began thrusting while toying with Blues' balls: he gripped them and softly pulled them before teasing the head again.

"Enough teasing… Get serious, Saito…" Blues groaned.

"Heh, heh. _Buruusu_ can be impatient when he wants to."

"Yeah."

"Let's make sure to please him." Saito looked quite amused.

He began rubbing Blues' cock while leaning forward and licking his nipples as well: Blues quickly released and the usual chain reaction took place: Saito then took his cock out and began a new kiss with Blues while they hugged each other and rubbed their cocks together: they released and sounded relieved.

"… Whoa. It's already been an hour. Well then… I'll be heading back already... There's work to be done. Good luck next week with the Tuesday exam on History, Netto."

"_Thank you_, Enzan!"

Netto and Enzan were dressing up after cleansing the bed and Netto blinked Enzan an eye as if to indicate that he appreciated the encouragement.

"Oh! And Enzan… If Raoul invites you over, make sure to bring out the _little brother_ costume: you'd scare off all of Heaven's Town idiots 'cause you two are the Hyper Duo!" Netto joked.

"Why not… It might work. Thanks for the advice." Enzan replied as he adjusted his sleeveless coat.

"Oh. One last thing… Have this: it's a present!" Netto picked a box and handed it to him.

Enzan undid the lace and opened it: he gasped and took out a red bandana with Blues' emblem drawn there.

"Whoa. You did this for me… You really are a kind person, Netto. I owe you a lot, really." Enzan looked emotional, for once.

"I'm glad that I could change your life for the better. And I also owe you a lot, too. We help each other, right?" Netto replied.

"Yeah. I'll definitely be using this when I can. Maybe to get tuned and feel modern…" Enzan grinned.

"Saito gave me a photo in which we both dress like grooms and look like we just married. Maybe he's foreseeing the future, even." Blues admitted with a slight blush, for once.

"Heh, heh, heh! Given how I once sported a groom's suit and Roll – chan pretended to be the would-be wife…" Saito giggled.

The four of them chuckled under their breaths: their friendship was bright and shining by now.

"… So… According to Max's mail… Tabuu set fire to both of those guys' Omicron caches?"

"Yeah. No – one else will get to use it."

Netto and Saito were speaking while they set the table for dinner while they both sported pajamas: Netto kept his usual ones while Saito's were colored chestnut brown like Netto's eyes.

"Number Man contacted: they've got 50% discount sales tomorrow at Higureya and he suggests that we should come. We may be able to infuse some "realism" into Higure – san so that he stops being a leech and chasing Mariko – sensei." Saito looked extremely amused.

"Really… Yuriko does well on protecting Mariko – sensei but Higure – san is sometimes rather stubborn! And I guess Dingo's tomahawk only led him to walk in circles 'round the district." Netto laughed.

"That's why knowing how to read maps or use a compass is important: or so they used to say…" Yuuichirou laughed as he came in from the ground floor restroom.

"Really… A tomahawk, they say? That's not good: that child must've ended up picking the wrong road the whole time! Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Haruka giggled.

"… Achoo!"

"Jeez. Dingo. When will you pick up that winter coat?"

"S-shut up…! A true man doesn't… Achoo! Need those…"

Dingo was inside of a room and seemingly trying to heat up by sitting next to a fireplace: Tomahawk Man looked annoyed as he projected with the hologram.

"This guy… He's impossible." He grimly muttered.

"Hah! My tomahawk is back with me: the curse is broken!" Dingo grinned.

"… Yum! This meatball spaghetti meal is… supreme!"

"Oh. You're praising me, Saito."

"It's obvious!"

"They're delicious."

The Hikari family was enjoying dinner: Haruka had cooked her traditional meatball spaghetti and Saito looked overwhelmed at tasting such a variety of delicious things: Netto and Yuuichirou chuckled while Haruka looked amused.

"There's seconds. Who wants more?" Haruka invited.

"We do!" The three of them exclaimed.

"Like father, like son! Tee, heh, heh!" Haruka giggled.

"… Well! Tomorrow we go to Higureya to buy the Discount Day Chips and then we'll go do our hobby. I'll then work on Tuesday's exam for the rest of the day. I'm sure I'll get a good score!"

"That's the otouto I know: always energetic!"

Netto and Saito were brushing their teeth after supper and looked each other while having toothpaste ready on their toothbrushes.

"Ready?" Netto challenged.

"Go!" Saito replied.

They began to brush their teeth in a quick and efficient manner before they stopped, had a gulp of water, and then spat the resulting mix of water and toothpaste.

"Whoa. I guess Trill is synchronizing us!" Netto joked.

"Good Trill… He's working his hardest! We should contact him next week, too!" Saito grinned.

They finished cleansing their teeth and then left everything in order before stepping into the main bedroom: they looked out at the night skies and managed to spot a few stars.

"Maybe we'll get to practice _amateur_ astronomy one day…" Netto muttered with a smile.

"Yeah. It's a fascinating thing to do, really." Saito nodded in agreement at the idea.

"And one day we'll have a pillow war, too." Netto teased.

"Sure. It'll be fun." Saito blinked him the right eye.

Both headed over to the bed and climbed on it: Netto picked the right side while Saito accommodated on the left side: they then slowly moved to glue their bodies together and looked animated.

"Netto – kun. Otouto. I'll always be by your side." Saito whispered.

"Saito – niisan. You'll always be my niisan, no matter what."

"Thank you, really…" Saito looked emotional.

"There's no need to: we're twin brothers! And now that this "arc" is concluding, I guess it's time to begin a new "arc" in our lives along with our friends." Netto suggested.

"Yeah. Together… We create infinite power." Saito smiled.

"And we fight for their sake. They'll always back us up."

"Good night!" Both told each other.

They then fall asleep with large smiles on their faces: a future of countless possibilities was ahead of them.

**THE END**


End file.
